crape myrtle guide | living soil 201 this Sat, noon | Boston fern hanging baskets, $5.00

tel: 512 280-1192 Thursday, April 13, 2017

Nursery Notes: ten types of crape myrtles in stock: tuscarora,

Basham's party pink, Hopi, Acoma, twilight, catawba, natchez and

others: $30 for 3 gal, $130 for 15 gal. (See Chris's article below on

these beauties.) Hibiscus, tropical, perennial: $20. Lemongrass:

$3.00, $10 and $26. Boston fern10 inch hanging baskets on sale

for $5.00 (reg. $16.00). Some avocado trees still available: Haas,

fantastic, mexicola and lila: $50. Please drop by to say hi! ❦

Something's Brewing: David's mysterious 'secret' living soil sem-

inars continue this Saturday at noon. David calls it: 'living soil 201.'

Shhhhhhhh.... - don't tell anyone ; - ) ❦

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Mushrooms on toast: This hearty, savory dish is inexpensive,

delicious, easy to make, and 'suitable for any time of day: breakfast,

lunch, tea, dinner or late snack,' writes David Tanis. All you need is

some thyme, parsley, garlic and crème fraîche. New York Times ❦

How to Draw a Garden Plan: Have you already forgotten where

you planted those tulip bulbs last autumn? And how exactly are you

planning to locate that clump of wilted foxglove you cut back, with-

out accidentally digging it up? Keep track of your plants, by draw-

ing a garden plan, suggests Michelle Slatalla in Gardenista ❦

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Central Texas Gardener: bamboo basics with Meredith Jiles. On

tour, Chandler Ford’s front yard attracts a crowd and her romantic

shady backyard invites intimate conversations. Plant of the Week,

forsythia sage: Sat. 4 p.m. Sun. 9 a.m KLRU ❦

The Crape Myrtle: a Reliable Beauty

by Chris Winslow

They bloom for months on end, and they come in any size you could

imagine. Once established they can hold up with our native tree species

during even the most prolonged droughts. Vibrant color and water

conservation rolled together into one beautiful tree.

For a low-maintenance ornamental tree, you cannot beat the good

old crape myrtle.

This wonderful flowering tree or shrub (depending on the variety)

provides three seasons of color without a lot of fuss or maintenance.

Muskogee, for example, grows to a height of 25 to 30 feet, and

blooms for up to four months! Its blossoms are light-lavender and

have a strong resistance to powdery mildew. Its fall leaf color is red

and yellow and in winter its bark is grey and pinkish-brown.

Another outstanding crape is Natchez. This white flowering beauty

grows from 25 to 30 feet and has the second longest bloom period

of 110 days.

Its fall leaf color is red-orange and its winter bark color is cream-

cinnamon brown. Natchez is resistant to diseases, and is considered

the benchmark that all other varieties are compared to.

For a dwarf tree, one of the best is Victor. This dark red variety

grows to 4 to 5 feet and blooms for 85 days.

For mid-size trees, those growing from 8 to 12 feet, there is Siren

Red, Pink Velour, Catawba (purple), and Acoma (weeping white

pictured above).

For trees between 15 and 20 feet there is Dynamite (deep red), Red

Rocket (red), and Tuscarora ( coral red to dark pink). And for truly

shade size trees, 25 feet and up, along with Muskogee, Natchez,

there’s Basham’s Party Pink.

The crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) has been in the South since

they were first introduced from Asia in 1747. Since that time, hun-

dreds of colors and heights have been bred.

In the mid 1950s, the Japanese crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia faueri)

arrived and an extensive breeding program began. Horticulturalists

began to mix the color variations of the Asian crape myrtle with the

disease resistance of the Japanese varieties.

The Japanese crapes also had trunk color attributes and greater cold

tolerance. They could now be planted farther north.

As these plants go through their amazing bloom cycle, we should

all give thanks for the bright colors they bring to our landscapes

during the upcoming harsh summer months. Happy gardening

everyone! ❦