Why not ask her if she would consider giving you a few cuttings to propagate. That way you'd have what she has! Crapes are pretty easy to grow from cuttings.

Seeds need to mature ON the plant in order for them to be viable. The pods have to be brown and beginning to crack open. Seed pods have barely begun to form, let alone ripen on the trees, turn brown and begin to split open to reveal the many little seeds inside the capsule. This typically happens in the fall.

But, regardless of that, you are correct....the progeny from those many seeds are likely to be quite variable.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crapemyrtle capsules

to figure out if it will come true form seed.. you would need a FULL ID ...

obviously .. if it is a species.. then.. by definition. it would come true from seed ..

but i agree with the others.. google 'propagation of CM' .. and get some stem cuttings.. in the appropriate season.. and root them ...

ken

After relocating a crapemyrtle one spring I noticed the same plant arising in the original spot from roots left in the ground, which would say to me that spring root cuttings might also work to get a true plant.
hortster

I'll run a search on propagating crape myrtles. It's probably correct that any seeds from the original plant are not likely to run true. I'll check the internet. I bet a cutting will be better choice for cloning.

Regarding root cuttings. I can check with my purple crape friend and see if she has any coming up that I can take in the spring. Crapes grow fast and it will probably grow into a large plant in no time at all. Thanks for your input.

Most crape myrtles grown in landscapes are vegetatively-produced cultivars. Crape cultivars do not come true from seed. You may get a similar plant, but, as was stated above, seedlings will likely be variable. Even if the color of some of the seedlings is similar, it will have other characteristics (disease resistance, for instance) that differ. It is possible that you could even improve on the original plant, but the odds (assuming you don't grow many and select a superior specimen) are against it.

And, BTW, Hortster is totally correct in assuming that root cuttings can work well. Of course the owner of the original plant may not want roots excavated from his/her landscape. If you do take root cuttings, the cut roots of the original plant are also likely to sprout up where you make the cut.

I grew one from seed once. It was a volunteer in a hanging basket that I bought, so I don't know what the parent plant looked like. It grew to a good size but only bloomed for about 2 weeks, and that was it. I let it grow several years but it bloomed sparsely for about 2 weeks each year. I cut it down and put another one in its place that I bought and am very happy with it.

BTW, a friend of mine has seen a deep purple one and really likes it. I've never seen one, and can't find one on any lists. I suggest you do what others have suggested, and grow from a cutting or from a root cutting. I've read that they're easy to grow that way, and you'd be sure to get the same thing.

Summerstar, you made me laugh about the Rudbekia. I was thinking I would dare mother nature and plant seeds from Tiger Eye. Well, the thought of flowers would no petals would serve me right. After all, "Don't mess with Mother Nature" :)

Well I'm very happy that you got a laugh out of my cone flowers with no petals mzdee! They reseeded from a shorter version of red cone flowers called Kim's Knees or Kim's Knee High; something like that. The plants are really sturdy and healthy looking, but not a pink petal to be seen anywhere, only lots of big green spikey heads. They're short too . . . probably 18 inches high. One friend said she kind of liked them. Not me or the bees. They're gonna hit the compost heap soon.

summerstar, this is a good place to put my post about my RED crepe myrtle. A girl down the street gave me a little cutting with roots off of hers. I babied it till it got to be about four feet tall, really healthy. My husband said it was too close to the flowering cherry tree, so I moved it,----and killed it.!!! So we went to PA. for a day, and I found one which said,"siren red". I bought it, planted it, waited patiently for blooms, and it bloomed profuselly,------Pink!!! Well guess what? A lot of little red ones came up where the red one was planted origionally. What to do with this PINK crepe myrtle, with almost a postage stamp yard? Maybe you should try root cuttings. :) Arum

Dena, if you want a really good red, look for Dynamite Red. I planted two in my front yard this spring, and they get a lot of comments. But it sounds like you're getting red ones from the roots of your Siren that died. They are persistent. I killed one in my front yard that volunteered from seed. It didn't bloom very well - sparsely for about 2 weeks, no rebloom. That was several years ago. New ones are still coming up from the roots.

eahamel, the siren red was the one that turned out to be pink. Thank you for your comment. I hope eventually I will get a good red one from these babies. It's going to take a while though, beings their only about 3 inches tall. :)

I hope you get a good one from the seedlings! My siren red is really red.

I had a friend give me a ziploc bag full of green seed pods from her red crepe myrtle. I appreciate it that she thought about me and was trying to be helpful, but they are green! Is there a way I can still use them to start seedlings? Can I put them in the fridge, in a paper bag in the dark, or something to dry them out and make them turn brown so I can possibly use them? I really hate to see all these pods go to waste if I can possibly save them and use them. Thanks in advance for your help.

Lonewolf, if your crApe myrtle seeds are immature, drying them out sure won't help their viability.

Thanks, Brandon for the response. I was afraid you'd say that. It's what I was thinking too, but it was worth asking. Dang it! LOL

dry them and plant them..

expect nothing..

but there is always the chance that you will be surprised...

what do you have to lose.. a pot and some media and a little effort ...

ken

I had a large red flowering crape myrtle. He would drop seeds, and new plants were constantly coming up from the dropped seeds. I left several of the seedlings in the ground. One of them, after about four years, is huge. The flowers look exactly like the flowers from the parent.

I had what I thought was a sucker come up a few feet from my Red Rocket . It finally bloomed this year -- and is pink. My guess is that it's a seed from the Red Rocket crossed with my mystery pinkish-purple that I grew from a cutting. It's really nice, with very red stems like the RR, but cotton candy pink.