Centennial Spirit Crape Myrtle

The Centennial Spirit Crape Myrtle is a wonderful small flowering tree, growing to about 20 feet in 10 years, and spreading to a similar width. It has one or a few main trunks, covered in bark that is mottled gray, cream and tan. The thick, leathery, glossy leaves are dark green, free of powdery mildew, and turn reds and oranges in fall. Big heads of many blooms form from late June into October and they are an amazing brilliant true-red, especially in hot weather. Grow it as a lawn specimen in a smaller garden, or beside your house, at the back of shrub beds, or along a fence. It’s gorgeous anywhere.

• Brilliant red blooms on foot-long heads
• Profuse from June to October
• Great fall colors of red and orange
• Perfect small tree where you have limited space
• Vigorous and resistant to powdery mildew

Choose a spot in full sun for your Centennial Spirit Crape Myrtle. Grow it in any well-drained soil, even poorer soils, and established plants are drought resistant. This variety has been bred to be resistant to powdery mildew, and it is normally not bothered by pests. Some shaping when young will give you an attractive tree, and a light spring trim can be useful, but this tree is very low maintenance, and needs very little care.