Will "Miami" Crape Myrtle grow in zone 7A (Maryland)?
Annapolitan (Zone 7A)
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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Growing Crape Myrtle outdoor in Southern NH
Comments (43)I went to college in New Orleans. It was a horribly long, depressing, and expensive experience. There were many times when I was at the end of my rope. Honestly, I don't think I would still be alive, if the sight and fragrance of Crape Myrtles hadn't occasionally reassured me. So yeah, I can see why you want one. I have my desk positioned so that I can look out at my own beautiful CM. It's at least forty years old, and twenty feet tall, with a beautiful, unmolested, mature shape: very much a tree from the Jungles of India. The blooms are a rich orchid/violet color, and are at their peak right now. And yes, the tree continually tells me that everything will be all right. To grow one in New Hampshire, you will need: .A hardy variety .A sun trap (preferably a SE exposure beside your house) .Seriously deep mulch in winter Or: a miniature variety in a pot...See Morecrape myrtle
Comments (2)If you do a search of the New England forum, you will find a long thread (37 entries) that discusses the ins and outs of trying to make crape myrtle grow here. Boston and parts of coastal Mass. are Zone 6. However, Rockman's comments in a post a little way down, "What Zone am I in?" offer a good explanation of why Zone 6 covers regions that actually vary greatly in plant hardiness. Two years ago on a whim, I added dwarf crape myrtle seed to an order I was placing. I grew three plants to a height of about 15 inches with severe doubts as to their hardiness, but just out of curiosity. They did survive the winter, but are so small that they aren't a really good garden value. Anyway, if you read that thread you will pick up enough information to figure out if you would want to try to grow one in your area....See MoreCrape Myrtle questions
Comments (43)Well....after looking at more pictures online and talking to my wife, I think we've determined a Natchez variety will be too much for our front yard. The height doesn't worry me so much....it's the wide canopy spread. I'm afraid it will make the ground around it too shaded, and will kill off the Bermuda grass. This happened near our pear tree, and since the ground is already sloping down, it has caused erosion issues. So now I'm steering more towards an upright growing Crape.....I have been looking at Tuscarora or Miami....I am also looking at Sarah's Favorite. It's so hard to tell what information to trust, because if I look at 10 different sites describing the different varieties of Crape Myrtles, none of them will be consistent as far as how tall/wide a tree will get. I had one site say Sarah's Favorite doesn't shed bark, but others say it does. I really had my heart set on a white flowering variety, but it seems like Natchez or Sarah's Favorite are my only choices for the size of tree I want.....I can't seem to find Byer's White anywhere online....See MoreSolve Crape Murder.... or Relocate Crape Myrtle
Comments (16)the base problem.. is that .. as a babe.. it was planted for the size of the plant at point of sale ... with no real concept of its future potential ... once it stated growing.. 1 or 2 feet from the foundation .. there was no choice as to pruning ... but crape murder ... its simply to big a plant.. for where it is planted ... sometimes its easier to cut bait ... and start over ... and either plant it a bit further away ... OR ... buy a plant with smaller potential ... OR ... properly prune it every other year or two ... on the other hand ... [its never simple... lol] ... and do understand i have never had a CM up here in MI ... so i will defer if i am way off base ... you might try hardcore renovation ... go in there and remove the largest 1/3 of the trunks ... trying to get it to resprout way down low ... next year ... take the second third ... etc ... inside 3 years .. you will have refreshed the whole plant.. to new vital growth .. which you can train properly over the years .. [until you move and leave this nightmare for the next peep .. lol] .. upside here .. you learn a lot about pruning ... downside ... its right in front of the house .. perhaps not the best place for such an experiment ... https://duckduckgo.com/?q=renovation+pruning+of+crape+&t=ffcm&ia=web when i bought my first house.. there was a slew of 40 year plus shrubs... and i wanted to save them .. for the history of the house ... 5 years later i removed the last nightmare ... one of the happiest garden days in that garden ... pshaw on house history .... after all.. i didnt keep the paisley 3 inch shag rugs either.. lol ... https://flashbak.com/selling-harvest-gold-shag-carpet-ads-from-the-1960s-1970s-385094/ play around.. learn to prune.. but keep it in mind.. that removal might be the best answer ... of course.. if you are an instant gratification type.. just do it now ... ken...See MoreAnnapolitan (Zone 7A)
6 years agoAnnapolitan (Zone 7A)
6 years agoEmbothrium
6 years agoLogan L Johnson
6 years agoTom Gnade
3 years ago
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7