Crape Myrtle by height

The Indian Lilacs or Summer Lilacs, in Latin Lagerstroemia indica, are bushes with remarkable summer flowering, ranging in size and height from a small tree of 4-5 m (13-16ft) to a bush barely exceeding 1 m (3ft). This allows for the welcoming of this wonderful plant even when space is limited, in a small garden or in a pot on the terrace. Among the largest and most vigorous, we can mention the hardy selections from the Desmartis nursery in Dordogne ('Grand Cru', 'Bergerac', 'Jacqueline Desmartis'...) or the botanical species Lagerstroemia indica 'Violacea'. For small gardens and container gardening, the choice among dwarf varieties is now also extensive: 'Petite Pink', 'Petite Red', 'Terrasse Rouge', 'Terrasse Rose', 'Petite Canaille Mauve', or 'Mimi Fuchsia'. Of medium stature, reaching about 2.50 m (8ft) in height, the varieties of the superb Black Diamond series ('Black Solitaire') have a superb upright habit and surprisingly dark foliage. These bushes are rather easy to grow in full sun in rich soil. Hardy down to -15°C (5°F) once mature, they are interesting for several reasons: their summer flowering in dense panicles of small fringed flowers, reminiscent of crepe paper, sometimes completely covering foliage that takes on flamboyant colours in autumn, before revealing a naked bark, exfoliating in irregular and colourful patches. All Lagerstroemia can easily be shaped by pruning to form a bush or a small tree with a single trunk or several well-cleared trunks.