Center Stage® Pink Crape Myrtle

• Full Sun (6+ Hours Direct Sunlight)
• Mature Height 6 - 12 Feet
• Mature Width 8 Feet
• Growing Zones 7-9

Sometimes called the Grand Dame of the South, Crape Myrtle (or crepe myrtle as some spell it) is the time honored graceful tree-like shrub that lines Main streets all over the Mid to Deep South, the Southwest US and up along the Pacific Coast into Oregon, Zones 7a through 9b. Colorful hot pink, cone shaped panicles of crinkled paper florets tower loftily over the dark red/black foliage of Center Stage Pink Crape Myrtle, which was specifically bred for its desirable dark foliage, to resist disease, and bloom even earlier than conventional crape myrtles, often in late spring to early summer. Crape myrtles are very heat tolerant and perform best in poor to medium quality soils. Once the blooms are done, attractive seed clusters and the beautiful exfoliating bark that develops after a few years will add postseason interest to your garden and landscape.

Native to Southeast Asia, crape myrtles have naturalized extensively across the United States. Their tall upright form is ideally suited for urban developments and its tolerance for drought conditions make it an easy to care for shrub for your home landscape. Easily trained to be single trunk tree-like shrubs or left as multi-stemmed shrubs, this beautiful warm season deciduous shrub is a must have for any serious gardener. Deer and rabbits don’t bother it and when planted in an environment it thrives in, it is very disease resistant. It is particularly beautiful when it is massed out in an attractive hedge fashion, but equally fantastic as a specimen plant in your landscape.

The Center Stage series of crapemyrtles was developed by Megan Mathey at Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs with two goals in mind--very disease resistant black foliage, and super stunning flower colors! These beauties are hardy in zones 6b-10, with blooms appearing earlier and three colors to select from. The Center Stage series continues to perform very well in heat trials as well as in our field and gardens in West Michigan. 

Center Stage® Pink Crape Myrtle Care

Since it is a tree-like shrub, follow the advice given about planting only in months that end in an ‘R’ for best results. This means early fall through early spring is best. Crape myrtle tolerates many types of soil including rocky soil and heavy clay soils and are so versatile. It does not tolerate a wet soggy soil, however, so avoid poor draining areas of your landscape. Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball, replacing or amending the native soil with a good garden mix that contains perlite, peat moss, vermiculite and finely ground pine bark. This should provide the mildly acidic to neutral soil pH that it does best in. Water deeply 2 to 3 times a week until it is established and then weekly if you are in an area that does not get adequate rainfall.

If planting in the fall months, wait until spring to fertilize as that is when the most active growth begins. Flowers will form on new wood, so remove any dead, disformed or diseased branches late winter to early spring. Resist too much pruning, however, as it is not necessary and you can do serious harm to your shrub with indiscriminate pruning. Start pruning at soil level and remove any suckers that form to keep emphasis on the main trunk(s), then prune any horizontal branches and any that cross over into the middle of the trunk. This will increase airflow and the overall health of the tree. You can remove spent blooms and the subsequent seed clusters and may be rewarded with a second flush of blooms.

Center Stage® Pink Crape Myrtle Spacing

These tree-like shrubs can reach up to 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide so give them up to 8 feet of space in between shrubs. Crape Myrtles are just as attractive when planted to line a driveway or street as they are as foundation plants or by themselves as a focal point in your landscape or garden. You are going to want this beautiful shrub in your landscape this spring.

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