I have qyute a few red-flowering crepe myrtle seeds available. Looking for perennial flower seeds or cuttings, cactus seeds or offsets, or even something that you might recommend.

"Google doesn't distinguish between the two spellings." Actually it does, and that's why the number of search results is different. Some results appear in both searches, some don't. If one goes even further and enters quote marks around the two words "crape myrtle"/"crepe myrtle" (which cuts out some irrelevant results), the difference becomes even more noticeable. Interestingly, the relative number of search results for each variation has actually flip-flopped over the last five years or so. Most universities, arboretums, and so fourth tend to use the spelling with the a, but a lot of casual users seem to be trending more and more towards the e-spelling. Etymologists point out that the a-spelling was first, which to some, make it more correct. But the term/phrase does seem to be "evolving".

Coming to the party a little late but with a couple of comments. The crape in the first pic does not look like 'Catawba' ... which is much more violet colored. It looks more like 'Zuni' or possibly 'Twilight', both of which are a little lighter and a hair bluer. Also, the Lowe's picture (just before the last one posted) is not an accurate picture of 'Purple Magic.' These pictures that are created to sell plants based on color are frequently doctored -- just slightly -- so that the color appears to be more like what people are craving ... a true purple. It doesn't exist. 'Purple Magic' is almost indistinguishable from 'Catawba'. But it is one tiny shade more intense which makes it the most purple to date. When it first blooms. 'Purple Magic' is more like deep violet, but as the bloom fade they take on a bluish caste which "purpleizes" them a degree more. One feature of PM is that it is a looooooong blooming plant. So far, for me, it is the longEST blooming crape I've had. I don't dislike it at all. If I was naming -- in the interest of accuracy -- I'd call it 'Catawba Improved.' When they get a crape the color of Jacaranda, then they will have purple. D'bloomers (pic above) if a crape doesn't bloom well -- as they are a very free, easy blooming species -- it's almost always because they get too much shade or lack phosphorous in the fertilizer (which must be administered ongoing in the season PRIOR to bloom.) Don't fertilize it once next year expecting good results. Fertilize it this year (regularly) and expect results next year. it acts more like a dietary supplement than it does V i a g r a. This post was edited by Yardvaark on Sun, Aug 3, 14 at 21:30

If it's anything like the taller cm's then I would prune it in late winter/early spring. I don't cut mine back but that is when it's typically done. Cms usually bloom on new growth (I believe) so I don't think a serious pruning would hurt! Kate