Agree with Carol.

Thank you Ms. Carol. I'll look those up.

Or 'Ebony Embers'

The Ebony Flame looks like the dark leaf with red flower to me, but when I looked the other up, it was a tree. Hmm...I'll try & get a better photo tomorrow. Thanks ladies!

2nd could also be 'Black Diamond'.

This is what I found & I think it's the right one. Crape Myrtle Dynamite Leaf Blossom (shown) or Red Rocket. Thanks for your help on that one! Sue

but when I looked the other up, it was a tree.

==>>> i see what you did there with your name.. lol ...

can pruning into a certain shape or form be a variable that can be used to ID a cultivar ..

the other way round.. how do you know the tree form was natural and not a pruning creation???

i dont do CM in MI.. so i am asking ...

ken

Yes, :), I'm Santee Sioux Native American so thus the play on my name. The picture I took is how it is. It's not a tree. It's probably a little bigger than it looks like the one in the flower pot. It' at my work along with one like it only pink (not shown) and close to two of the other plant I have above with the pink flower I've not found yet. I'm sure they'll have to keep it pruned if they want to keep in small in that small flower bed least they have to move a couple of them. It's so beautiful I decided I have to have one for myself. My co-worker thought the same thing. Not sure how to go about pruning it yet. It's new this spring to the facility, so I'll have to read & see if I can find out for our maintenance team. Thanks!

In your zone, no crape myrtle will ever become a tree!! They should be treated more like die back perennials, as that what a cold winter climate will do to them.......kill then back to the roots each winter :-) I doubt pruning them will ever be an issue.