Can you recommend a red Crepe Myrtle?

17 years ago

I would like to find a red (not dark pink. RED.) crepe myrtle that grows about four feet by four feet with dense, mounding foliage (and 12 month a year bloom time :).

Is there such a thing? Can anyone recommend a cultivar?

Featured Answer

brandon7 TN_zone7

17 years ago

Donna,

I don't mind how you choose to spell it (it won't offend me even if you want to spell it with a "u", LOL), but it can be beneficial to spell it correctly, and it can help others in future reference situations if the spelling is correct. Almost all professional articles and good reliable information (like the info you are looking for now) uses the correct spelling, so it's much easier to find good info if you spell it correctly. And, while using the Latin name is a fine idea, it won't necessarily get you all the articles and info you may seek. Unfortunately, not everyone uses the scientific name. Of the 166,00 articles Google pulls up for "crape myrtle", many of them are from experts and academics in the field, arboreta and botanical gardens, etc. The vast majority of the 149,000 articles Google pulls up for "crepe myrtle" are from amateurs and are generally less reliable.

Here are some ways you can confirm that spelling crape myrtle with an "a" is more correct:

There is a "Crape Myrtle Society of America" but there is no such thing as a "Crepe Myrtle Society of America"

"Crape myrtle is the overwhelming choice both in botanical sources and in other dictionary sources." - Michael Agnes, executive editor of Webster's New World Dictionary

"The first reference to crape...came in 1685. Crepe first showed up in 1797." - Agnes

"The common name of this plant is crape myrtle not crepe myrtle." - Floridata

The National Arboretum, as well as almost all arboretums, uses "crape myrtle" not "crepe myrtle"

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Here are more varieties you might check:

Cheyenne (just a little larger than you asked for)
Cherokee (just a little larger than you asked for)
Chica Red (probably too pink, but often described as red)
Tonto (somewhat towards pink, just a little larger than you asked for)

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Comments (10)

brandon7 TN_zone7
17 years ago
How about a Crape Myrtle instead?

Here are a few you might want to check into. I'll leave it up to someone more familiar with the different cultivars for a specific recommendation.

Christiana (just a little larger than you asked for)
Coral Sport (just a little larger than you asked for)
Mandi (just a little larger than you asked for)
Okmulgee (red but slightly towards pink)
Rubra Compacta
Tightwad Red
Victor
Weeping Alamo Fire

Ooops, running out of time. May be able to list more later...
Donna
Original Author
17 years ago
Hmmm. Just double checked my spelling with The Southern Living Garden Book. They spell it with that "e". One more reason to use "Lagerstroemia", I guess. (No offense meant. None taken.)

Wow. Thanks for all these recommendations. I had no idea there were so many (or any, for that matter). Looks like Forest Farm will be hearing from me soon.

Do you have personal experience with all these? They will be planted in a shrubbery that has alot of purple from Rose Glow Berberis, hydrangeas, and loropetalums and reds from Firepower Nandinas and Camellias, along with a berrying shrub whose name escapes me now. Any thoughts?
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brandon7 TN_zone7
17 years ago
Here's a chart of the varieties mentioned. I made it quickly, so it isn't pretty. Double check my facts before making a decision.

Cultivar ............. Height .. Form .. Mildew Resistance
Cherokee ......... 8'-10' ... globose ....... good
Cheyenne ......... 8'-12' ... rounded ...... high
Chica Red ........ 2'-4' ... small dwarf ... fair
Christiana ......... 8'-10' ... upright ........ fair
Coral Sport ...... 8'-10' ... upright ........ fair
Mandi .............. 6'-12' ... dwarf .......... fair
Okmulgee ......... 3'-6' ... dwarf upright ... fair
Rubra Compacta ... 6'-8' ... ? ... ?
Tightwad Red ..... 2'-4' ... dwarf ......... high
Tonto ................ 6'-12' ... compact globose ... high
Victor ............... 3'-5' ... upright dwarf ... good
Weeping Alamo Fire ... 2'-3' ... weeping, miniature ... fair
Donna
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you very much, brandon. I will change my spelling in the future. I wonder how these discrepancies creep up, and I am particularly surprised at Southern Living's usage. You'd think they would be right on target.

I truly appreciate the varieties suggestions. I think I will begin seeking Tightwad Red and Victor. They sound like just what I need.
jeanette_searcy2010_comcast_net
15 years ago
I first saw one of Red Dynamite about 11 years ago. I finally got it's name. I called called the University of Oklahoma and spoke to the professor that propagated it. He said I would have a long wait, there was. The nursery that ordered it for me confirmed the wait. I waited 2 1/2 years. When it got here and I planed I found that it was worth the wait. It grows fast, blooms heavily and if you are in the right zone you will have a second bloom time. It was easy to propogate and I spread them all around. If you get one I know you will enjoy. Also , just get on the computer and type in Dynamite Crepe Myrtle.
shervegas
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Red crepe myrtle I can think of is Red Rocket or Black Diamond I would love to grow one.
PRO
Caldwell Home & Garden
10 years ago
crepe myrtle 'tonto' comes to mind as does 'dynamite'. No crepe myrtle blooms continuously throughout the year.
Lindsay K
10 years ago
Tonto and Dynamite are the two I have heard of the most as well. Check their bloom length. Some bloom for 90 days, some longer.
PRO
Form and Foliage
10 years ago
The National Arboretum, which originated 'Tonto', describes it as fuschia. I would tend to agree with them. It ain't red, or even close. I have many Dynamite (no quotes since it is not the registered botanical name). They are very dark pink with about as close to red as I have seen, but they are still pink in my book! The dark foliage is gorgeous, though.