The Purple Crape Myrtle, 'Lagerstroemia indica "Purpurea", is a handsome, summer-flowering, deciduous small tree or shrub. It is a favorite among Southern gardeners because of its beauty and low maintenance. The crape myrtle is valued mainly for its long period of striking summer flowers. Large clusters of purple flowers appear on the tips of new branches beginning in early summer and continue into fall. After flowers fade and fall from the tree, fruit remains in the form of small brown capsules. These fruits remain throughout the winter providing winter interest along with the attractive, exfoliating bark which peels away to expose a trunk which ranges in color from many handsome shades of brown to gray.
The Purple Crape Myrtle is ideally suited for formal or informal design in the home landscape, street plantings and community plantings. It can be planted as a specimen or in groups, and looks attractive when underplanted with a ground cover. Crape myrtle leaves are oval and 1 to 2 inches long; they are bronze-colored when they first unfold in the spring and become yellow, orange or red before falling late in autumn. Crape Myrtle are easy to grow and if they are used for hedges, plant them 4 ot 5 feet apart.