I feel that way about my pink crape myrtle right now. I see this crape myrtle from my kitchen. Hanging over a bench, its shape is romantic. Like frilly petticoats, the heavy blooms drape down, swaying in the breeze.
Right now, I'm in love. And I'm not the only one. The bees circle around, nuzzling into the blooms as if in a sweet caress.
And when the petals fall, they carpet the ground with tiny pink confetti. Again, very romantic.
There are a variety of crape myrtles. Some red, some pink, some white, some purple. Some tall, some short. Mine are left to grow tall. This one has been planted for almost 10 years, and is around 15 ft. tall.
Grown from seed, crape myrtles grow in zones 7 to 9b. A southern classic.
Very pretty in pink.
One of the best parts of Summer-- when the crepe myrtles are in bloom. I love the petals on the ground - like a little flower fiesta.
ReplyDeleteThis may be a funny question but is this a shrub or a vine? I've never seen a crape myrtle before but I had this notion it was a vine.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful. Crepe Myrtles are lovely in their photos.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
ahhh! Makes me wish I lived further south!
ReplyDeleteCrape myrtles are most beautiful when left to achieve their mature size, limbed up to show their beautiful trunk and bark. I admire that you are allowing yours to do this. What a beautiful view from your window!
ReplyDeleteWe have two crape myrtles that came with our house. There's a lavender one that is tall and graceful that I love and will keep. There is also a hot pink, dwarfish one that was planted in exactly the wrong spot and must be removed. I won't miss it, because it's awkward and weird (with its dwarf habit). The yard will be better without it.
We live in zone 10 and have several crepe myrtles that are doing great. I love seeing them in bloom every year. We have pink, then I have the purple Queen Crepe.
ReplyDeleteHappy Gardening ~ FlowerLady
Tufa Girl - They are so abundant, too. When they fall they truly do make everything under them pink.
ReplyDeleteMarguerite - They are a tree, if allowed to grow naturally. Some newer dwarf varieties are shrubs. Not a dumb question, as they don't grow in the north. They are the south's lilac, since it's too hot for lilacs here. Don't ask me to compare the two, though, as I've never seen a lilac!
Cher - They are the star of the garden right now.
Carol - I can't imagine not having them. We have several, and they are very popular in residential and commercial plantings.
Connie - I agree that they need to be left to grow. No crape murder here. They are much more graceful growing naturally. Remove your ill-planted crape and put something there that will shine!
FlowerLady - Glad to know they can grow that far south! I wish I knew what variety this pink one was, but i got it long before I got 'into' gardening.
I live in zone 6 and there are crape myrtles everywhere now. They bloom in late summer to fall here.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn - Thanks for letting me know! I guess my information was flawed - obviously they grow in zones 6 through 10. Which is great, because more people can enjoy them! Yes, mine have just come into bloom and will bloom all summer. I love them in winter too, with the seed heads on the limbs.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures! I would love to have a crape myrtle.
ReplyDeleteCrape Myrtles are among my favs. I let all mine grow into trees and do not butcher the tops.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the little story to tell children about 'Grandmother's Purse' using a fat bud from a Crape Myrtle?
I can relate...I love crape myrtle as well. Mine have not bloomed yet, so it was nice to see what's coming by viewing yours. ...which BTW are stunningly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful! I fully understand why you are in love with it!
ReplyDeleteYour crape myrtles ar so pretty.I love the pink.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog.
Sheila
We have it here too, but the magnitude of blooms is not as intense as yours. Beautiful
ReplyDeleteBumble Lush - I am so glad I decided to plant several. They are very hardy, and give a lot of interest for very little work.
ReplyDeleteNell Jean - No, I don't know that story! Sounds intriguing!
Sage Butterfly - Sometimes mine don't bloom until July, but we're early this year as we're averaging much higher temps than normal.
Gardening Blog - I love just standing there inside, looking out at it. It's funny how just one spectacular bloom can make us happy about the whole garden!
Sheila - I love the pink this year, too. Some years I have wished it were white, but this year I'm loving the color. (Yes, I'm one of those that can't make up her mind!)
Allison - It is giving me a lot of joy.
Andrea - I wonder why yours don't bloom as much. Different variety, I suppose. I can always count on this one to have blooms so heavy that when it rains they sometimes break the limbs. I have to go outside and shake the rain off them.
We had one in a similar color at our last house, and I loved it! Dependable blooms in the torturing heat of mid-summer, when most other plants had either shut down their blooms, or wilted from the heat! Sadly I don't see as many here near the coast, they probably find the fog here too dreary ;)
ReplyDeleteCurbstone Valley Farm - You just described the rest of my garden. Shut down blooms, or wilted from the heat (and the drought). Perhaps that's why I'm so in love with it this year. A spot of beauty.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Nell Jean, I have at last been able to read this. 'Pretty in Pink' had slipped into a glitch on Blotanical.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Eye - May be a glitch on blogger, or the fact that I've posted again. Glad you found it, though!
ReplyDelete