The Mystery of the Free Trees

photos by Nanelle Jones-Sullivan

 Last year, I became a member of the Arbor Day Tree Foundation, and was offered ten free trees. For my zone, I chose Crepe Myrtles, which are fairly drought tolerant, flower all summer, and have fall foliage and lovely bark.

In December I received what looked like 10 sticks, but were actually dormant barefoot seedlings). Crepe myrtles can also be propagated by digging up suckers, or from the berries that come after the flowers. I followed the instructions for “heeling them in” until March, when a few started to leaf out, I potted them up with potting soil, and watered them in pots at for a while. 

It was hard to keep them moist, so I stuck the pots in “self-watering planters”. Over the summer, new stems and leaves grew, and I began to wonder what was to come. I learned there are many species within the genus Lagerstroemia or crepe myrtle, and that mine were most likely the species Indica, or one of the indica x fauriei hybrids. 

I knew that it is important to anticipate a tree's future size. I did not want to be guilty of top pruning or “Crepe Murder.” Crepe Myrtles range in size from less than 3 feet to varieties that are over 30 feet. The flowers come in white and a range of most colors except blue, yellow, and orange.

I anxiously awaited the blooms to see if I could narrow down the possible varieties might have. In July I started to see lavender blooms on one plant, and then two ...or was that purple? I still don't know what I have. I counted 17 purple varieties on one website!

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