Lagerstroemia indica Périgord Pourpre - Crape Myrtle

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Périgord Pourpre’ is a small-sized Indian Lilac offering an early, intense red, gorgeous summer flowering. It has the advantage of blooming reliably. This charming deciduous bush captivates with its erect and compact habit, allowing it to be easily adopted in a large pot on the terrace. It also charms with its very shiny green leaves, which colour in the autumn, and its decorative bark. Sun and heat lovers, resistant and with multiple assets, the Indian lilacs are among the most beautiful summer flowering bushes. This variety, growable in many regions, deserves a special place in the garden or on the terrace.

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Périgord Pourpre' belongs to the Lythraceae family. The Lagerstroemia indica, from which it originates, is native to China. ‘Périgord Pourpre’ was selected in 1996 at the Demartis nursery, near Bergerac. This bush has a bushy and erect habit. It will reach on average 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in height at ripeness, with a diameter of 1 m (3 ft 4 in). Its growth is quite fast. Its flowering, remarkably early, generally starts at the beginning of July and continues until October. The flowers are characterised by thin pedicels each bearing five petals with an undulate edge composing this flower. The flowers, whose texture recalls that of crepe, are gathered in large dense panicles, at the end of the year's branches. In 'Périgord Pourpre', the buds are pale pink-red, then they bloom into intense and bright red. The foliage, tough and deciduous, is very shiny dark green. It is composed of small ovate leaves, which sometimes turn lovely yellow or red shades in the autumn, depending on the climate. Finally, and to end in beauty, its bark is of all beauty, smooth, beige striate with brown-red, peeling off in coloured flakes (cinnamon, faded red, old pink, cream).

The Indian Lilacs are the glory of the South West gardens. This plant prefers humid and warm climates to dry and windy climates. Due to its hardiness and vigour, this small tree can be acclimated to colder zones if the location is carefully chosen. It is within a solitary location near the house, that you will fully enjoy this plant's generosity. It will look good in a bush bed, a flowering hedge, or emerging from a mound of perennials. Compose a bed like a bouquet, with Campanula pyramidalis, Salvia sclarea, Aster laevis. In the autumn, it accompanies the equally as colourful aster. In a large pot on the terrace, this plant puts on a show when the summer flowerings are slowing down. We have simply imagined a tricolour vegetable tapestry as a ground cover to highlight the Summer Lilac Red Imperator. A weaving of thymes, oregano and silver baskets will dress the base of its trunk, highlight its bark and reflect its sparkling flowering.

NB: Karl Von Linné named this tree to pay tribute to his friend Magnus Von Lagestroem (1696 – 1759), who had sent it to him from India for identification. Originally, this tree was used to decorate Chinese temples. Please note that this tree produces fruits that have a narcotic action in case of ingestion.