Natchez Crape Myrtle Bush (lagerstroemia indica)

ABOUT THIS CRAPE MYRTLE

Natchez Crape Myrtle Bush (lagerstroemia indica) – Undisputed Royalty of Crepe Myrtles! Bountiful blooms of white-ish crinkly petaled blossoms, explode from large, branch tip panicles appearing on the large leafed weeping branches in spring. The contrasting deep cinnamon colored smooth bark highlights this multi-trunked tree. 30 feet tall with a crown spread of 35 feet at maturity is sure to please any gardener.
Our plants allow you to enjoy large blooms in the first year or so. All the Crape Myrtles we offer are vegetatively propagated from healthy, vigorous, flowering mother stock, grown right here in our nursery. This means, you receive an exact clone, true in form and won’t have to wait four to five years to enjoy the beautiful blooms, as is often the case with seed grown or tissue culture plants. Truly a better bloom!
The growth rate, bloom quantity, color and size of Natchez will vary greatly depending on soil type, sunlight, temperature and other factors. A few leaves are often trimmed prior to shipping to reduce transpiration and travel stress.

QUICK SPECS

CRAPE MYRTLE CARE

Crape Myrtles are easy to grow plants that produce abundant, lightly scented flowers. Crape Myrtles will grow and happily flower in a pot or in-ground. They add a beautiful accent to any outdoor space, garden or patio. In cooler zones a containerized Crape Myrtles can be relocated indoors for the winter months.
When you receive your new Crape Myrtle, there is no need to worry about planting right away. Your new plant can be stored for a while by simply placing it in a bucket with about a half inch of water and moving it to a shady location, simply keep moist. This will give you plenty of time to select the ideal location for your new Crape Myrtle.

CONTAINER SIZE

All Crape Myrtle varieties grow very well in containers, indoors or on the patio. Smaller varieties grow best indoors in 10″ to 14″ diameter pots while larger varieties need enough room for growth, generally a 14″ to a 24″ diameter, 14″ deep container will suffice. Remember the looser the roots, the taller and healthier your Crape Myrtle will be. When the plant becomes root bound its growth will slow, at that point it is time for a larger pot.

SOIL

Natchez Crape Myrtle enjoy a well drained, general potting mix easily found at your local box store. Remember try to stay away from arid or wet, mucky soils.

FERTILIZER

To help establish your new Natchez Crape Myrtle, fertilize sparingly ten inches away from the base, tri-annually with a slow time released product. Unfertilized they will tend to grow at a slower pace. Note: The heavy salts in cheaper fertilizers will damage the roots and possibly kill the plant. Its best to use a brand you know and trust.

GROW ZONE & LIGHT

Best outdoors if grown in zone 7a-11, find your zone here. This Crape Myrtle requires 75-95% sunlight. Depending on your location full sun is often best. In the northern end of their grow zone Natchez Crape Myrtle should be brought indoors or protected during the winter months. The patio zone is 4a-11 which means the potted plant will flourish over the summer months in colder zones but must be brought inside before winter.

BEFORE YOU PLANT OUTDOORS

At the nursery these Crape Myrtle are grown under 20-40% shade cloth. If you plant this Crape Myrtle in a brightly lit area you may experience leaf burn. It is best to acclimate this plant to its environment by keeping it outside and slowly moving it into a sunny area over a week or two to avoid stress before planting.

WHAT IS THE SHIPPING SIZE

All Natchez Crape Myrtle for sale will vary in size. In the spring, plants are often smaller than plants shipped in the fall. Plants designated with a sku ending in -4, -6 or -8 will arrive in a standard 4 inch, 6 inch or 8 inch round growers pot respectively. Our new, reusable, recyclable deep plugs are 7 or 9 inches deep and 2 or 2.5 inches in width. Products growing in these pots are easy to transplant and allow for deeper roots and faster growth, they are designated with a sku ending in -7 or -9. (Note: The item sku number can be found just below the buy button.) The color and style of these pots may vary. If we are out of a particular size item, we may ship a larger size at no additional charge. For more information, click the “best packaging” link at the bottom of this page.