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Gardening in Shade

crepe myrtles in less than full sun

19 years ago

My region (east tn) is very hilly with tall trees surrounding the property. Their are spots in my yard that probably get 5 or 6 hours of sun per day, but that's beside the point.

So crepe myrtles are known as full sun trees, but I'm thinking of experimenting with putting a few in less than full sun places.. like maybe 3 hours full, and the rest dappled.

What can I expect under these conditions? Should they do fine?

Natchez crepes (crapes?)are the type I'm considering.

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Comments (3)

kimka
19 years ago
My crepe myrtles are in half day sun and do very well blooming each summer in late July/August. I do think they have stretched a bit taller, seeking light than they are supposed to, based on the standard heights for these varieties. They are also a bit less full than full sun planted trees. But I'm willing to take the bloom amount I'm getting with the sun I have.
joydveenc7
19 years ago
You will probably want plant a mildew resistant variety. I have one that is semi-shaded and it begins blooming much later than those in full sun, but it has been healthy enough.
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fernzilla
18 years ago
Hi:

I have two Natchez Crape Myrtles in shaded area, where they may recieve 2 hours of bright Sun daily, and they both do quite well.

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