• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

How to Plant Crapemyrtle

September 14, 2015 by Jeanne

A short while ago, I wrote about the new Black Diamond series of crapemyrtles. I emailed the PR director for the grower and asked for permission to reprint photos from their press kit, which she granted to me. She also asked if I’d like a sample tree. Sure, why not. Little did I know I’d fall in love with the Black Diamond crapemyrtle!

crapemyrtle

 

 

I love crapemyrtles, but the Black Diamond crapemyrtle has far exceeded my expectations. It arrived on Friday, and we planted it on Sunday. The container-grown crapemyrtle had a very healthy root system and I hope it takes to its new location along my driveway.

black diamond crepe myrtle

 

This new series of crapemyrtle promises almost continual blooms from July until the first frost. I liked the foliage; a dark green, with a hint of black. The flowers are a rich shade of magenta. The color on this one is called “Mystic Magenta” and it appears to be a vibrant, dark magenta shade.

The Black Diamond crapemyrtle series looks like a great new plant to add to your garden. For more information, see the grower’s website. The plants are available for purchase at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and from your favorite nursery and garden center. I received a free sample from the company as part of their public relations outreach. My review and comments are fair and honest. I plan to return to this topic next year and let my readers know how this tree is growing!

How to Plant Crapemyrtle

It’s easy to learn how to plant crapemyrtle. Most crapemyrtle, including the Black Diamond series, are container-grown. This means that they are purchased in a pot. A tree or shrub grown in a container is planted very similarly to perennials and other flowers you buy and plant in a container.

  • Choose the location for your crapemyrtle. The Black Diamond series grows to about 10 to 12 feet tall and about six feet wide, but others have different mature heights and widths. Know how big your tree will get and plan accordingly – don’t plant it too close to power lines, your home, or where it will get in the way of traffic.
  • Crapemyrtles need full sun to bloom beautifully. Too much shade can reduce the blooms or cause the crapemyrtle not to bloom at all.  Consider the amount of light the tree will receive in the area you wish to plant it.
  • Before digging, KNOW WHERE YOUR POWER LINES ARE. If you’re not sure, call the utilities company. Also know where underground sprinklers and other buried items are located. You don’t want to accidentally dig them up!
  • Using a spade or shovel (or in our case, a pick axe to break through the clay), dig a hole just slightly deeper than the pot and slightly wide. Place the plant, pot and all, into the hole. The soil, when it’s pushed around the tree, should reach the same depth as the plant was grown in the pot. Don’t plant it any higher or deeper – it won’t help the plant.
  • Add and mix compost into the soil if you wish.
  • To remove the container-grown crapemyrtle from the pot, grasp it gently by the stem or branches. Tap on the outside of the pot and the base to loosen the soil around the plant’s roots. It should slip easily out of the pot.
  • Place it into the planting hole.
  • Fill in the soil around the plant.
  • Tamp it down – press it with your hands or gently use your shoe to firm down the soil.
  • Water well…and by ‘water well’ I mean let the water run for a good minute. Give your new planted crapemyrtle a good drink of water and water it daily until it is established.

For more information on crapemyrtles, please see:

  • Beginner’s Guide to Crapemyrtle Care
  • Crapemytle Culture

Filed Under: Growing Flowers

Previous Post: « 25 Easy Apple Recipes for Fall
Next Post: Organic Garden Insect Control »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. STEPHEN PICKETT

    August 1, 2016 at

    So it looks like it’s been almost a year since you put this Crape Myrtle in the ground. Do you have anything to report on how well it’s done? I live in central Ohio and found one of these at a big box hardware store this weekend. I haven’t planted it yet, but it seems like I might have some winter trouble here in zone 6.

    • Jeanne

      August 1, 2016 at

      Great question, Stephen. This particular crape myrtle is alive and well, but hasn’t grown much. Some of it looks like deer damage, some maybe cold damage. It’s not blooming yet but my others aren’t blooming yet either. We shall see. As for zone 6, I had trouble with crepe myrtle in New York state, which is also zone 6. It grew but didn’t bloom. It was more in the shade, so that may have been part of the problem. I’d look into the varieties offered at your local stores and see what their cold tolerance is. It’s always a guess with crepe myrtles, but if you’re willing to gamble on them a bit, the rewards can justify the risk. Good luck!

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

a watering can next to a seed tray on a sidewalk

What Veggies Can I Plant Now?

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

butternut squash growing in a raised garden bed

How to Grow Butternut Squash Organically

Learning how to grow butternut squash organically ensures you know how to grow this tasty, nutritious vegetable in your home garden. I’ll share with you some basic information on growing butternut squash, followed by some organic gardening tips that have been helpful for me here at Seven Oaks Farm in dealing with the various pests…

Read More

herbs in a pink dish

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea

Make the perfect cup of herbal tea, right from your own garden! In May, I gave two free talks on how to grow, harvest, dry, and create your very own herbal teas. This lecture proved so popular that I recorded the narration and uploaded it to YouTube. You can view it below: Supplies to Make…

Read More

tent caterpillars on a pear tree

How to Get Rid of Tent Caterpillars

I spent last Saturday morning getting rid of Eastern tent caterpillars from the apple and pear trees in the orchard here on the farm. Malacosoma americanum, the Eastern tent caterpillar, is a regular visitor each spring. We first spot the shimmery webs on a clear spring day. The small ‘tents’ built by the caterpillars quickly…

Read More

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

Raised bed vegetable garden soil soil needs to be replenished periodically. If you’ve done your job right and selected great soil, and amended it with nice compost, you’re going to have super garden soil for the first few years. Because you don’t walk on a raised bed garden the way that you do with typical…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme