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susieq07

My 2 for 1 Crepe Myrtle

susieq07
11 years ago

Yes, this is one plant has been this way for years, thought maybe one color would take over, but nope, is not going to happen, and I love it!

Comments (7)

  • SusieQsie_Fla
    11 years ago

    That is SO cool!

    Did you do this yourself?

    All my crepe myrtles are done blooming already . . . you're doubly lucky!

    Susie

  • susieq07
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Do what myself? all I did was buy it and plant it, and my other two which are about 10' tall are still blooming also.

  • L_in_FL
    11 years ago

    I had a different weird thing happen with a crepe myrtle. Many years ago, when I was more clueless, I got a bunch of little 1' tall tree seedlings from the Arbor Day foundation. One was a crepe myrtle, which I planted in a mostly shady spot. (Did I mention I was more clueless then?) Of course, it was spindly, leggy, got mildew every summer, grew slowly, and generally looked pathetic. It bloomed a little, with pale lavender blooms. I finally decided it wasn't ever going to do anything and I didn't much care for the bloom color, since pale lavender kind of disappears in front of gray siding. So, I cut it back to the ground.

    It grew back. I cut it back again and even yanked out some of the root. It grew back. I cut it back again. When it came back after my third attempt at crepe murder, I decided that if the plant was THAT determined to live, I should let it.

    And so I have, for years. It's a spindly single trunk plant now, about 8' tall. As it gets taller, it comes out of the shade earlier in the day. By the time it's 15' tall maybe it'll get enough sun to fill out and actually be an attractive plant, heh. But here's the kicker: the blooms are now a deep pink.

    Maybe it's a new plant the grew from seeds dropped by the original...but this came up in *exactly* the same spot as the lavender plant I cut down over and over. Also, there was never a tiny seedling stage - the plant got big fast the way you'd expect from an established plant returning from the roots. Still, I can't imagine the Arbor Day folks would go to the expense of sending grafted plants as their new member freebies. Does anyone even graft crepe myrtles, anyway? Maybe a myrtle fairy visited me some night and planted this pink one. Maybe somehow seeds from my other crepe (a similar, but somewhat darker pink) made their way all the way across the yard and around the garage to this exact spot. I just don't know.

    In any case, "the crepe that would not die" has now earned its place in my yard, ugly or not. I just hope that in time it will develop an attractive shape to go with the pretty bloom color and tough-as-nails constitution.

  • greenie1_gw
    11 years ago

    Very nice. Happy to see my little crepe blooming nicely this year after weevils absolutely destroyed it last year. I see some this year but not nearly in the same numbers. I just drove from Atlanta to Birmingham and they are literally everywhere there, and just beautiful.

  • SusieQsie_Fla
    11 years ago

    Hey Susie
    I was wondering if you grew that crepe from a seed or cutting and "created" the two-fer bloomer.

    But since you bought it that way, perhaps the grower did something special to get the double colors.
    I really think it's cool!

    Susie

  • shuffles_gw
    11 years ago

    Susieqsie,

    If you deadhead your crepes, they will bloom all summer.

  • SusieQsie_Fla
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Shuffles!

    I did just that (since they are still small in containers) and will wait for another flush of flowers.

    I'm thinking of planting two in one pot to get a Two-Fer, too!

    Susie