~Lagerstroemia...Say What ?!?!? ~

OR better known as Crepe Myrtle.  This is probably my most very favorite flower of all time for several reasons.  One:  They are extremely easy to grow.  Two:  They tolerate our hot Oklahoma summers very well.  Three:  They produce an abundance of beautiful blooms.  Four:  They are so extremely beautiful and, well, crepey!  Not creepy...crepey.  As in having a crepe-like appearance and texture.

To me, they are such an old-fashioned type flower.  They come in a variety of colors...from deep purple to lavender, from red to pink and even white.

In this neck of the woods, it seems that the pink and lavender colors are the most popular for garden centers to sell.  I have seen white ones but have yet to find one to purchase.

I would like to have either a deep red or purple one.  Right now, I have four plants in the flower beds around my house and they are all in the pink family.  These beautiful little buds will open up into the most delicate looking flowers..thus the name "crepe".

They grow as shrubs or even trees.  I've seen some that are at least 10 to 12 feet tall and they are absolutely breathtaking with thousands of blossoms all over.  Even the miniature varieties have tons of flowers...like this little baby.  It should only grow to about 3 to 4 feet tall.  I've got it growing on the north side of the house as I do one of the taller varieties .  Then I have two on the south side of the house.




Having them on either the north or south side doesn't seem to affect their productivity in the summer but we had a really hard cold snap this last winter and the one on the north side took quite a hit.  It's slow in recovering.  Even though it's almost back to its full height from last year (about five feet) it has yet to produce any buds.

This is my poor little bunny hiding under the crepe myrtle.  Yes, he's been broken.  My granddaughter, Monkey, was fascinated by him when she was about three years old thinking, at first, that he was real.  In her excitement to show her daddy, she accidentally dropped him and he broke.  She felt so bad about it.  She sent me a new one (she lives in Omaha) and, unfortunately, he got broken in transit.  I didn't have the heart to tell her and just glued him back together.  He's holding together pretty well, don't you think?

I am always in such fascination and awe about this beautiful plant that God created.  Hardy yet delicate looking.  Old-fashioned but still so popular.  Easy to grow with long-lasting blooms.  I always look forward to their show every summer.  Yes, I'd say it is my most favorite flower.  So, what is your favorite flower?