The Lilac of the South

by K. Bagby, VCE Southside Master Gardener and Southern Piedmont Master Naturalist Ah, fall! Or false fall, possibly, depending on which weather person you listen to. Summer might come back, although briefly. Inevitably we’ll get fall. Yay! There are lots of great things about fall, aren’t there? As the days shorten and cool, we start to see the true colors of the green leaves we’ve had since Spring. We get to enjoy flaming reds, yellows, and oranges as the leaves of our deciduous trees stop making chlorophyll. But there’s more to fall color than just tree leaves! One of our Southern favorites, judging by the numbers in our yards, can get really showy as the season turns. Crape (or crepe—both are correct) myrtle is sometimes called the “lilac of the South”. It’s a member of the Lagerstroemia genus and the Lythraceae family, related to the loosestrifes. The common crape myrtle, L. indica, was introduced to the States in Charleston, South Carolina, in about 1790. It’s a non-native ornamental tree or shrub that likely came from India, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and similar places. The Royal Botanical Gardens’ online taxonomy database, Plants of the World Online, currently lists almost fifty different species of Lagerstromia. The hybrids and cultivars number in the hundreds, at least. L. indica is commonly hybridized with L. fauriei, Japanese crape myrtle, to produce plants that are more mildew-resistant. Crape myrtles are famous for their blooms. Depending on the type, some bloom all summer and into the fall. Some will also produce a second crop of flowers in the fall, and deadheading spent blooms can encourage the plant to make more flowers. Don’t deadhead too late in the season, though. The end of July is a good time to stop, since any new growth after that is likely to be damaged by fall cold.

The beautiful exfoliating bark is a special feature of Crape Myrtles. It shows up more in the fall when the foliage has died down. One of the other things noticeable about crape myrtles is their bark. It self-exfoliates, and sometimes the color difference between the cast-off bark and the new growth is striking. It all depends on the variety of the plant. Not everyone likes this of course, since it can get messy. And some varieties have blossoms that can stain, so take these things into consideration when selecting a variety. Crape myrtles prefer sunny locations in moist, well-drained soil. Good air flow can help limit powdery mildew problems. They bloom on new wood, so if you’re going to prune, do it in winter or early spring. Be kind with those pruners—no crape murder! Chopping them to stubs ruins the natural form of the plant and promotes the growth of whip-like, spindly branches that are too weak to hold the flowers up. A stressed crape myrtle—any stressed plant—is more vulnerable to disease and insect damage. Crape myrtles sometimes have problems with aphids or downy mildew, but they’re deer-resistant, and once established do well with drought. If you’d rather plant Virginia natives, you can substitute something like winterberry or spicebush. The Virginia Native Plant Society has comprehensive planting recommendations for each area of the Commonwealth. The one for our area’s titled Native Plants for Virginia’s Southern Piedmont. Many thanks to our Virginia Cooperative Extension Southside Master Gardeners and Virginia Master Naturalist Southern Piedmont Chapter, and to all the people who give their time to and through these groups to serve their communities. Many, many more thanks to our late mentor and friend, Bill McCaleb. The Virginia Cooperative Extension Halifax Office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. If you have gardening questions, you can reach an extension master gardener or extension staff member by sending an email to ask@ssmga.org or by calling the Halifax Extension Master Gardener Help Desk at 434-830-3383. Be sure to give us your first and last name, telephone number and the nature of the call. The help desk phone is routinely checked Monday-Friday. Someone will get back to you, although it may be from a different telephone number. Happy gardening! Remember to leave the leaves and plant debris for the insects to overwinter in. They’ll appreciate it!