Center Stage® Red Crape Myrtle

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

6-12 Feet

Mature Spread

8 Feet

Growing Zones

7 to 9

A superstar in the garden that doesn’t act like a prima donna, the Center Stage Red Crape Myrtle steals the show in sunny gardens. The glossy, dark leaves set the stage for the blaze of long-lasting red flowers in summer. The deep purple and black foliage provides colorful interest all season long. Another major benefit of the richly hued foliage? It’s deer- and disease-resistant! This is a vigorous variety that has been improved to resist the diseases with which other crape myrtle species struggle.

Center Stage also has a narrow, upright growth habit that makes it a great choice for smaller spaces and tightly knit landscapes. This tidy habit also opens up a variety of landscape uses. Mix it with perennials and plant in landscapes to provide color year-round with its extraordinary foliage. They can also be used to form a low, colorful hedge.

Center Stage® Red Crape Myrtle Care

Plant Center Stage® Red Crape myrtle in full sun to achieve maximum disease resistance, bloom, and growth. Only water when soil is dry, as overwatering can reduce disease resistance of the plant. It is adaptable to most soil types except soggy soils. The combination of full sun and well-drained soil will lead to a thriving, colorful specimen. Crape myrtle prefers a slightly acidic soil with a pH ranging between 5 to 6.5.

This dwarf crape myrtle variety has a tidy growth habit that rarely needs to be pruned. However, if you’d like to prune them, do so sparingly in the early spring.

Center Stage® Red Crape Myrtle Spacing

Most crape myrtles do no react well to constant pruning, so Center Stage® Red Crapemyrtle is a great choice for smaller locations or narrow garden beds. However, it can still spread up to 8’! So maintain a good amount of space around this shrub, and plant give it around 8’ of space when selecting a site for it.