A Load of Crepe

Heading out to get our morning coffee this weekend (something I was really looking forward to as our favorite cafe had re-opened this week) my girlfriend noticed a "Garage Sale Today" sign.  (all you Caffeine aficionados in the Hawkesbury area should check out Cornerstone).

As we do love a random adventure and the possibility of finding those perfect knick knacks for our collection we took a detour off the main road to partake in this much loved weekend ritual. Not long after the turn off my eyes were drawn to the bright magenta shades of the Crepe Myrtle's lining the street. It was actually the humorous sight of an unfortunate car parked under a Crepe Myrtle that made me take notice, I had to stop and take this photo:  

In my first blog I criticized the (in)famous Jacaranda for its messy nature, here I am going to do a 180 and express my affection for the Crepe Myrtle. Yes, Lagerstroemia's can be a messy tree but there is something a bit more appealing to me a bout this tree, possible my love of the magenta colour spectrum?

January is the peak flowering time for Lagerstoemia indica (and it's hybrid cultivars), this popular East Asian deciduous tree. The common name is derived from the crinkled flower, as it's appearance is similar to crepe paper. On our drive this morning they all seemed to be trying to out compete each other for the 'Most Vibrant' award - possibly because of a combination of the heat and rain we have had over the past few weeks.

Today Lagerstroemia's are a very popular tree for the home gardener, councils and landscape industry. With modern breeding there are now a range of colours and sizes available in the market. These 'Indian Summer' Lagerstroemia's have also been bred to resist powdery mildew, a fungal disease that effect flowers and leaves.You can get varieties ranging from 1 metre shrubs to 8 metre trees. For more information, head over to Flemings website.

Key features of this small to medium tree (apart from the fantastic flower color of course): they are easy to grow and have good Autumn foliage color but what I think I like the most are their trunks. With age they exfoliate their bark giving them a mottled appearance, as you can see below they can display swathes of silver and tan. 

I am sure you have noticed these highly ornamental trees out and about, what are your thoughts on them? I think they are a great choice for a small tree in the home garden but also have a place along the streets of our towns and cities. There is a lot to like about the Crepe Myrtle, unless you happen to be parked under one at the moment.