Crepe Myrtle? : )

J

Hmm, maybe so! I guess it should be easy to tell once those flower buds open up.

Crape myrtle. Most vars are poor street trees.

Dan

crepe myrtle. the natchez white variety don't have little sprouts forming at the base, so they are a good choice. however, mine are not performing as well as they did at my old house. i'm guessing it's because they are still "new". I LOVED them at my old house - covered in gorgeous white blooms and no mildew or bug problems. just an easy no fuss tree.

i've had the red varieties at another house and did not like due to new growth always popping up at the base of the tree. the red ones almost seemed like a weed to me. i didn't like their shape as much either. natchez white seems more substantial and elegant. better form. better tree overall.

well, shoot. It's good to know that these are crape myrtle, but i'm kind of reluctant to plant one on account of the potential powdery mildew problem ... i live in pretty much the world's perfect powdery mildew climate and anything that can get it does.

The very popular National Arboretum hybrids are extremely powdery mildew resistant. I've never seen PM occur on these trees, provided they are given enough sunlight. These are the trees with the native American tribal names.

If you do decide to explore using one of these trees, be sure to shop for the size, color, and general growth habit that you desire. For street tree use, get one with a single trunk so that you won't be creating a vision hazard.

You should also do some pre-shopping research on the mildew resistant rating for the trees that you like. There are lots of good fact sheets on the internet. Use the correct spelling for the most informative websites: Crape myrtle (not crepe).