Crapemyrtle

Most homeowners in the Southeast enjoy crape myrtles blooming in the summer because their colors are profuse and plentiful, except when there are drought conditions. Many people in the northern part of their plant hardiness zone seek to propagate by cuttings but here in North Carolina, if you have good garden bed soil condition their seeds will germinate as profusely as they flower. I’ve notice the pink varieties semi-dwarf or otherwise are the most profuse. I dig them up, normally they just have tap roots when young and the soil tends to drop away so I prune back the top as well as pruning the root and put them in either one or three gallon containers, depending on the size of the root, in my manure and loam mixture and set them aside. However be certain to water in the hot summer because they are the first one’s to show that they are lacking water. Crapemyrtle, redbud, dogwood all produce profuse seedlings that many homeowners can enjoy for years to come and one of the aspects of living in the Carolinas for the horticulturally inclined. The specimen in the picture, was planted in a neighbors yard that was a sucker that I dug up one summer, but I know how to prevent moisture loss, so don’t try it if you don’t know how.