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Top 5 Crape Myrtle Tree Varieties

July 8, 2020
, Plants

While most other North Texas landscape plants are fighting to survive their way through the unyielding summer temperatures, the Crape Myrtle tree is just coming to life. This deciduous, multi-trunk ornamental tree loves the sun and is a staple in most southern summer landscapes for good reason.

The Crape Myrtle comes in a variety of sizes and blooms for an average of 2-4 months from late spring through the summer. With close to 40 different varieties available in all sorts of bloom colors, we have listed our top 5 Crape Myrtle tree varieties below.

Tuscarora Crape Myrtle

Maturing to a height of around 20 feet, the Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is known by its signature coral, pink blooms. This North Texas summer flowering plant begins blooming about midsummer, flourishing in August. When fall arrives, you will see the green foliage on your Tuscarora turn to a beautiful shade of red/orange

Muskogee Crape Myrtle

The Muskogee Crape Myrtle grows to an impressive height of close to 25 ft tall and 20 ft wide. The blooms on the Muskogee are lavender and are one of the first blooms to usher in the summer.

This variety begins blooming as early as May and is one of the longest blooming Crape Myrtle trees, blooming for an impressive 120 days. The Muskogee variety has a gorgeous fall color foliage making it one of the best fall season color Crape Myrtle trees in our area.

Natchez Crape Myrtle

Growing to an impressive 30 foot tall, the Natchez Crape Myrtle is another favorite. The pure clusters of white blooms begin their display in mid-May and can often continue their bloom for an impressive 3 months.

One of the other notable characteristics of the Natchez is the trunk itself which has a very exfoliated appearance, revealing a cinnamon colored bark.

Arapaho Crape Myrtle

The Arapaho Crape Myrtle is considered to be a true-red blooming variety. One of the larger varieties, the Arapaho will achieve a mature height close to 30 feet tall.

The fall season continues the display as the trees maroon foliage compliments the colors of our North Dallas fall flower blooms. Similar to the Natchez, the Arapaho also is well known for its showy exfoliated bark.

Black Diamond Crape Myrtle

The Black Diamond Crape Myrtle is a new variety of Crape Myrtle easily identified by its black foliage. Available in an impressive 9 bloom colors including shades of white, pink, red and purple, the Black Diamond stands out as the centerpiece of any garden or front yard landscape.

A late summer bloomer, the Black Diamond continues to flourish well into the fall. Other than the black foliage, the other significant difference between traditional Crape Myrtles and the Black Diamond is the growth habit. The Black Diamond matures to an average height of between 8-10 foot.

Regardless of the variety you choose, we encourage you to consider including at least one of these top 5 Crape Myrtle tree varieties in your landscape design plans.