Ornamental
Crape Myrtle - Dwarf Dynamite (Red- MT)
Selections of crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.) with true red flowers are now widely available, thanks to new and dramatic improvements in crape myrtle flower color. As with other colors of crape myrtle, red crape myrtle varieties are free-flowering and will continue to produce flowers throughout summer and on into autumn. Moreover, red crape myrtle varieties are available in all sizes, suitable for any sunny spot in the yard or in containers.
The Story of Red Crape myrtles
Wild crape myrtles from Southeast Asia have flower colors ranging from white to pale lavender to watermelon-pink. Gardeners have long sought crape myrtles with clearer and more intense flower colors, but true red flowers have always been elusive. Finally in 1997, after years of intense breeding, Dr. Carl Whitcomb introduced Dynamite®, the first crape myrtle with true red flowers.
Dynamite® was widely acclaimed for its red flowers and became hugely popular, inspiring searches for more red crape myrtle varieties. Following this, Dr. Whitcomb and other breeders continued to introduce new selections with true red flower color.
All Sizes & Shapes
Not only do we now have crape myrtles with true red flowers, but they are also available in different sizes suitable for various garden uses. Single- or multi-stemmed tree-form crape myrtles are ideal as flowering specimen trees or as small, flowering trees near patios, walkways, and entrances.
Shrub forms make excellent accents in a shrub border when planted in groups. Dwarf plants are effective as large groundcovers, perennial bedding plants or container plants. Tree-size crape myrtles grow more than 12’ tall in ten years. Semi-dwarf crape myrtles grow between 4’ and 12’ tall in ten years, and dwarf crape myrtles generally stay shorter than 4’, at least during the first five years.
Example of Sizes
