Red Crape Myrtle Live Plant – Lagerstroemia indica ‘Rubra’ – 4″ Container

Overview

Introduce a splash of vibrant color and elegant charm to your landscape with the stunning red crape myrtle live plant. This exquisite shrub, scientifically known as Lagerstroemia indica ‘Rubra’, is celebrated for its spectacular floral displays and year-round interest. Originating from Asia, crape myrtles have become a beloved staple in American gardens, particularly in warmer climates. Our red crape myrtle live plant comes rooted in a 4-inch container, ready to thrive in your outdoor space. Known for its fast growth and adaptability, this plant offers a long blooming season, producing clusters of crinkled, rich red flowers that can transform any garden into a picturesque haven.

The beauty of the red crape myrtle live plant extends beyond its summer blooms. As the flowering season concludes, the plant transitions to a magnificent orange-to-red fall foliage, providing another layer of seasonal appeal. Its unique exfoliating bark also adds an interesting textural element to the landscape, particularly during the winter months. Whether you envision it as a stately tree or a dense shrub, this versatile plant offers significant aesthetic value and can be a focal point in various garden designs. Its ability to tolerate a wide range of soil conditions makes it a robust and rewarding choice for both experienced gardeners and enthusiastic beginners looking for a low-maintenance yet high-impact plant.

Key Benefits

The red crape myrtle live plant offers a multitude of benefits that make it an exceptional addition to any garden or landscape. Its striking features and hardy nature ensure a rewarding growing experience.

• Spectacular Red Blooms: Enjoy an abundance of vibrant red flowers from July through September, creating a show-stopping display that attracts pollinators and admirers alike. These unique, crinkled petals add a distinctive texture to your garden.
• Year-Round Visual Interest: Beyond its summer flowers, this plant provides beautiful orange to red fall foliage, followed by attractive exfoliating bark in winter, ensuring your garden remains captivating throughout the seasons.
• Fast Growth & Versatility: Known for its rapid growth, the red crape myrtle live plant can quickly establish itself and reach its mature size. It can be cultivated as a multi-stemmed shrub or pruned to form a single-trunk tree, adapting to various landscape needs.
• Drought and Heat Tolerance: Once established, this crape myrtle is highly tolerant of drought and heat, making it an excellent choice for regions with hot summers and for gardeners seeking water-wise options.
• Adaptable to Soil Conditions: While it prefers well-draining soil, the red crape myrtle live plant is remarkably tolerant of many soil types, making it easier to grow in diverse garden environments.
• Low Maintenance: This shrub is generally low-maintenance, requiring minimal care once established. Its natural resilience makes it a great option for busy gardeners.
• Attracts Pollinators: The abundant flowers are a magnet for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators, contributing to the biodiversity and health of your garden ecosystem.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential for ensuring your red crape myrtle live plant thrives and produces its signature vibrant blooms. These plants are relatively easy to care for, but understanding their specific needs will lead to the best results. For optimal growth and flowering, the red crape myrtle live plant requires a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate sunlight is crucial for prolific blooming and strong, healthy growth. Without enough sun, flowering may be sparse, and the plant may become leggy. When considering crape myrtle care, soil conditions are also important; while tolerant of many soils, it prefers well-draining loam. Avoid heavy, waterlogged soils, which can lead to root rot. If your soil is heavy clay, amending it with organic matter like compost can significantly improve drainage.

Watering should be consistent during the first year after planting to help establish a strong root system. Once established, crape myrtles are quite drought-tolerant, but they will benefit from deep watering during prolonged dry spells, especially when in bloom. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs, following the product’s instructions. Over-fertilization can promote foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Pruning is best done in late winter or early spring before new growth emerges. Focus on removing dead, damaged, or crossing branches, and shaping the plant to maintain its desired form. You can also thin out the interior to improve air circulation. This helps in promoting better flowering and maintaining the plant’s health. Understanding how to grow healthy red crape myrtle tree specimens involves these key steps.

Size & Details

This red crape myrtle live plant is currently rooted in a 4-inch container and stands approximately 6 inches in height, making it a perfect size for transplanting into your garden or a larger pot. At maturity, this stunning shrub can reach an impressive height of 15-25 feet and spread 5-15 feet wide, offering substantial presence in your landscape. Its fast growth rate ensures it will quickly fill its space. The plant is suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9, indicating its resilience in a range of climates. It typically blooms from July to September, providing a prolonged period of intense red color. The clusters of red flowers with their unique wrinkled petals eventually give way to a beautiful orange to red fall color, adding multi-seasonal appeal. This plant is shipped as a live, actively growing specimen, ready to be planted upon arrival.

Whether you choose to cultivate it as a dense shrub or prune it into a striking tree form, the red crape myrtle live plant offers flexibility in landscape design. The plants you receive have been pruned for optimal branching, ensuring a strong and healthy start in your garden. With its mature size, it can serve as an excellent privacy screen, a vibrant specimen plant, or a beautiful addition to a mixed border. The specific cultivar, Lagerstroemia indica ‘Rubra’, is known for its reliable and spectacular red coloration. Expect a robust plant that will establish well and become a long-lasting feature in your garden, offering magnificent blooms and foliage for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this crape myrtle plant get? A: The red crape myrtle live plant can reach a mature height of 15-25 feet and spread 5-15 feet wide, depending on growing conditions and pruning. It’s a fast-growing variety that will establish quickly.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: This plant is shipped rooted in a 4-inch container, making it easy to transplant into your garden or a larger pot upon arrival.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The red crape myrtle live plant is an outdoor plant, suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9. It thrives in full sun conditions outdoors.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal growth and abundant flowering, this crape myrtle requires full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate light is crucial for the vibrant red blooms.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, crape myrtles are generally considered low-maintenance once established. They are tolerant of various soil conditions and drought, making them a good choice for many gardeners, including those new to growing crape myrtle.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a live, actively growing specimen in a 4-inch container, ready for planting. We ensure careful packaging to protect it during transit.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: Crape myrtles typically bloom from July to September. Depending on when you plant it, you can expect blooms in its first or second growing season.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a red crape myrtle? A: The best time to plant is in spring or early summer after the last frost, allowing the plant ample time to establish its root system before winter.
• Q: What’s the minimum temperature this plant can tolerate? A: This red crape myrtle live plant is hardy in USDA Zones 6-9, meaning it can tolerate winter temperatures down to -10°F (-23°C) when established.
• Q: Can I use this as a tree or a shrub? A: Yes, this versatile plant can be grown as a multi-stemmed shrub or pruned to develop a single trunk, forming a small ornamental tree, making it a flexible choice for your landscape design.