Our Hours
Mon- Sat 8am to 4:30pm;  Sunday 9am to 4pm.

Myrtle Creek Nursery
A full service nursery serving Southern California

2940 Reche Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028
(760) 728-5340

www.MyrtleCreekNursery.com

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Crape Myrtle Trees

Crape Myrtles come from the Lythraceae family of flowering plants that includes approximately 600 species, including herbs, shrubs and trees. This family has a worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate climate regions.

The French botanist, Andre Michaux, first introduced the Common Crape Myrtle to Charleston, South Carolina in 1790. Originally, this multi-stemmed flowering shrub came from China and Korea. Over the last 200 years of cultivation, it now has a variety of characteristics making it useful as a tree, hedge, and dwarf tree growing in various zones, depending of species.

Crape Myrtles are known for their summer color and as tree that do not lift pavement. They love full sun and must have heat to bloom well.

Being drought resistant, they like well drained soil and appreciate non-alkaline soil. They can grow from cuttings and need only light fertilizing. The are perfect for medians, space definers and can be grown in large containers.

In cooler summer climates with high humidity, mildew can be a problem. Trees reach 15-20 feet in height with the shrubs growing from 3-6 feet in height. The growth rate is moderate and can they can be grown as a perennial. The delicate flowers are borne in large clusters and usually burst into bloom at the first onset of summer heat. Flowering can continue until the cool fall weather, and at that time the oval leaves can turn yellow, orange and red before dropping. You can find Crape Myrtles in reds, pinks, lavenders, purples and white. The bark is smooth and silky, and this is one of the plants that is showy all year round.

You can see them blooming constantly during summer throughout Southern California. The Crape Myrtle Trees are very well known for their vibrant color, and long lasting flowers.

The best varieties for our Coastal Valley climate are the hybrid selections, which is a cross between Lagerstroemia Indica and L. Faurei. These hybrids usually have Indian varietal names such as “Muskogee” or “Tuskarora”. These varieties of Crape Myrtles enjoy hot summers. Also these hybrids are drought tolerant, mildew resistant, bloom profusely all summer, and provide showy fall foliage color.

When looking to prune the Crape Myrtle Tree, try pruning during the winter season. When a Crape Myrtle is pruned in the winter it will most likely have an improved amount of blooms due to the fact that all flower buds form on new wood. Also, it is best to water them infrequently to promote the trees hardiness and deep rooting.

Here at Myrtle Creek Nursery we have a fantastic selection! Make sure that you stop by and take a look around, you might just find the perfect Crape Myrtle for you!