It's Crape Myrtle time in Wake County, NC. Behold! The Crape Myrtles are in full bloom.
Crape Mrytle, lagerstroemia indica, is one of the most common, most loved and colorful shrubs or trees in the southern landscape. Their ability to survive in urban landscapes, profusion of colorful blossoms over a long growing season, multitude of varieties and colors, and interesting growth habit and bark appearance combine to make them applicable in almost any setting.
Believe it or not, such flamboyant beauty can be overused, and we often take these beautiful trees for granted. We can even overlook the displays of blossoms after a day of cruising around town, because they are everywhere!
I have a few Crape Myrtles at home. My favorite is the Natchez Crape Myrtle. Under the right conditions it will grow to 35 feet tall, and blooms in profuse white for up to 120 days. Unfortunately, our hard freeze at Easter time, 2007 froze the buds off and I will not have any blooms this year. Wait 'til next year, indeed!
Mike - These beautiful trees are blooming now in northern Florida too and really add to the beauty of our landscape. Moving to this area 4 years ago introduced me to these great gifts of nature. You can never have toooo much lovely in your day! Have a good one!
Funny Mike.. I was going to do post on this too! Had taken photos of mine just yesterday, had planned to add more today but it was too hot to drive around with the camera
The ones behind my back yard are about a week away from their glory - I had plans to put them in a blog and probably still will. Did you know the Latin name or did you have to look it up? Crepe Myrtles are very pretty - my favorite flower right now are the black-eyed susans in our yard.
Mike: We have lots of crepe myrtles here in Houston but the colors don't seem as vibrant as what you have taken. North Carolina does have some beautiful foliage!!
I knew the "lagers.." I think because it is also a beer... LOL
I googled "Crape Myrtle" and got a refresher course. I have the Southern Living Gardening book that has the chart of all the varieties in the one link.
Thanks for reading and may your blossoms bend the boughs...
Musings and meanderings around the North Carolina Triangle area, with pithy stuff about the Raleigh and Wake County area, particularly Cary, and thoughts about the Real Estate industry.
Mike Jaquish Keller Williams Realty, Cary, NC
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Mike these are one of my favorite trees too. New Orleans has plenty, love the colors and the shade. They love our weather and grow quickly.