I don't have any but there are some planted near by at a Wal Greens that I have been admiring for several years. They are red violet in color and about 3' high.

I have the Acoma dwarf crepe myrtles and this is my 2nd year. So far, I like them. They are wider than they are high but for the spot they are in, I'm ok with that.

Ever since I read the article that Esh referenced about biodiversity, I'm more conscious about biodiversity and for every *non* native plant I get, I am committed to 3 natives. I was sad to learn that crepe myrtles are not native :(

Dora

I'm really surprised that you are having problems with dwarf crapes. Your climate is different than ours here in TN, but I thought GA was prime crape myrtle territory. I haven't had any problems growing them here in multiple locations and various conditions (exposed locations, near brick walls, full sun, mostly sunny, somewhat poorly draining soil, etc). So far as form/habit/size goes, it really depends on the cultivar. Not all the truly dwarf cultivars form the tight, multi-branched, little buns that seem to be the more common form.

My neighbor's was so great looking, I planted two here in Sugar Hill 3+ years ago. They're growing really well.

Brandon, we were surprised too. They transplanted poorly right from the start. All were the same "type" but different colors and all were trials for a nursery. To give good feedback, I just wanted to report on how others seem to be doing.
I want some for my home garden because they are easy and will provide a burst of color in a shrubby form when nothing else much is in bloom. I think they'll be perfect for the deck garden areas. The soil in the huge raised beds I had made isn't particularly great, but there is some stuff that could care less and is thriving. I do not care for the look of the dwarf gardenias I planted there. I love the scent but hate their rather raggedy yellow brown finished blossoms. On the other hand, I also love the light honey scent of the crepe myrtles! The garden there is balanced with some natives Dora - I planted dwarf wax myrtle which was on it's way out, but is reviving itself, thankfully!

I have a dwarf red-flowered one (seems like Razzle Dazzle) that I have growing in a huge container and it is flourishing. It gets no special attention and is in about 5 hours of sun per day. I've had it about 2-3 years and it has bloomed it's heart out for me. Love it.
Vicki

ggg, i have one on the side yard.

mine is fine, but i think they are dead every year because they didn't break bud the first year until 8-10 weeks after everything else. the second year, they didn't break bud until 5-7 weeks after everything else. This year, they didn't break bud till 4 weeks or so before everything else.

i guess maybe one year they'll get normal and inline with everything else...but they're soooo slow, and when they are defoliated, they look like they're dead! i thought we'd be digging ours out for sure year after year.

FWIW, ours is on the southeast corner of our house, so it gets a good bit of sun. it is flanked by a hydrangea, rosebush and some coral honeysuckle and stays very, very well mulched. it's not necessary to prune and it keeps a perfect form. very ugly over the winter, though.

Satellitehead,
I'm so glad you mentioned about them looking "dead". I had a similar experience wtih the three of mine in the front flower bed.
Mine have been in the ground for 3 summers and I *still* haven't seen a bloom on them yet. :(

I was sure the first year that they hadn't made it but I was too pressed for time to remove them until a few weeks later, I saw some leaf buds and was glad I didn't. Then the next year, I jsut waited for them to sprout.

You're right, they are UGLYYYYYYYYY in the winter.

Dora

mine were a pretty good size when purchased, didn't bloom the first year. i got three or four ssmall flowers the second year. The third year, the entire thing blew up.

it's almost July and I haven't seen a bloom yet that I recall. if they bloom, i'll take a picture and come back here to post it. the plant seems to have capped out at around 20" tall and 24" wide.

just wanted to update on this. i finally got back from a work trip to germany this weekend, and noticed while catching up on weeding that my dwarf crepe has buds starting to swell. after talking to my DW, she reminded me that the dwarf crepe doesn't start to break bloom till august. based on the size of the buds, it looks like last week july/first week august should have it blooming. i'll post some before/after pics.

Here are some crappy BlackBerry pictures of the shrub and a closer-up of the bud.

Ok, so it started blooming approximately 10 days after my last post. This is where it stands now - It's about 40% done blooming, this will go on for another 4-6 weeks.

So, mid July to mid August is the bloom start period, depending on your USDA zone.

How cool to see this post.
I came home from a 5 day business trip and found blooms on my Razzleberry Dwarf Crepe Myrtles.

They've been in the ground for 3 YEARS and are just now blooming :)

yay! me :)
Dora

FWIW (and especially for more productive internet searches), they are crape myrtles, not crepe myrtles. Most knowledgeable/reliable sources spell crape with an "a". The Crape Myrtle Society, almost all university and educational sources, as well as almost all botanical gardens and arboretums spell it with an "a". Using the "e"-spelling may turn up less-reliable/less-informed sources. Sometimes just one letter can make a big difference in a Google search.

I'm guessing that by "Razzleberry" you meant "Raspberry Dazzle", the trade name for Dirr's Lagerstroemia 'GAMAD II'.

My dwarf crapes put on a nice show, but the flowers now look so ratty - and there are hundred on my two plants. Does anyone know if the flowers would have lasted better if I'd watered more frequently?

Also, any chance I can transplant? They've been in the ground five years.

Rosie

brandon,
that's the 2nd time that you've corrected me here on my spelling - old habits die hard and clearly I am not a most knowledgable/reliable resource - just someone who was in a hurry and very excited about a plant that I've had for several years that finally bloomed.

Razzleberry is a favorite lipstick of mine and yes, the name of my plants are Raspberry Dazzle.

I agree that it's helpful if we post the right name. It seems to be worth a lot to you.
I'll try not to do it again.

Dora

Dora,

Try not to take things too personally People aren't lurking around corners just waiting to get you! ROFLMBO

It can be very important to spell things right. Even if it's not important to you, it could make a big difference for the next person that reads your post and wants to know what you are talking about or look things up related to the conversation. Spelng othur werds rite mae note bee thet importent, butt spelng tha nam uf tha plaent rite iis wurth doin iff yur goin ta ad a poste. For example, what good will it do someone to look up your lipstick if they are looking for a crape myrtle for their yard???? Mush valuable info is not available through google or other search engines without proper spelling. If it's not worth spelling correctly, it may not be worth writing (as in the case of your lipstick I mean crape myrtle).