S & J Tree Farm and Nursery’s Guide to Growing
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle
Trees in the Northeast Florida, Jacksonville
| St. Augustine area Landscapes
Crape Myrtle Tuscarora Preferred Exposure:
– Full sun is needed for Tuscarora Crape Myrtles to grow and bloom properly.
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle Foliage | Bark:
– Deciduous foliage of the Tuscarora Crape Myrtle turns an orange red and
yellow color in the fall before falling off the tree for winter.
– Exfoliating bark of the Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is a mottled greyish tan
color.
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle Soil Preference / Salt Tolerance:
– Tuscarora Crape Myrtles do well in most soils providing they are well
draining.
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle Size Variance:
– Crape Myrtle Natchez can grow up to 18-25 feet high and 15-18 feet wide
Crape Myrtle Growth Habit:
– Vase shaped growth of the Tuscarora Crepe Myrtle makes it an attractive addition to the landscape.
Crape Myrtle Tuscarora Growth Rate:
– Tuscarora Crape Myrtles are a moderate to fast growing cultivar.
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle Bloom:
– Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is a long blooming selection perfect for a showy
summer display of blooms in the North Florida | Jacksonville |St. Augustine area landscape.
Crape Myrtle Tuscarora Water Requirements:
– Crape Myrtles trees are drought tolerant but will need to be watered well
after planting for two weeks to three months in the establishment period depending on the size of the tree being planted and during prolonged periods of drought after established in the landscape.
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– n/a
Best Uses For Crape Myrtles:
– Few trees make quite the statement in the landscape that a Crape Myrtle can. They bloom for months with little care on our part to keep them looking spectacular. Its little wonder they hold such a place in our hearts and in our gardens.
– Plant them alone as a specimen accent or in groups for added dramatic flare. With so many varieties, colors and sizes to choose from, no southern garden should be without at least one!
– Crape Myrtles are the perfect touch of color when inter planted in hedge rows for privacy screens or property borders.
– Low maintenance and drought tolerant once established, Crape Myrtles make excellent commercial plantings for parking lots and street trees.
Care of Crape Myrtles:
– Water every day during the establishment period. See watering your newly planted trees for more information.
-They will need good water during the establishment period and supplemental irrigation during dry spells or particularly hot dry summers.
– All Crape Myrtles bloom on new wood and should be pruned in winter or early spring for best bloom.
– Take care to remove basal suckers and small twiggy growth each year on larger specimens and remove crossing or touching branch growth as well as branches growing towards the center rather than the more desirable growth that grows out and away from other branches.
– During the summer growth season you can choose to trim old blooms and your Crape Myrtle will put out a second lighter and slightly smaller bloom to replace it and prolong your bloom season.
– Provide a 1 ft diameter circle of mulched area where grass is kept from growing for each inch of caliper (or diameter) of trunk measured 4 inches from the ground level.
– Fertilize each spring with a heaping shovel of compost or a mixture of Milorganite and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the tree.