How to grow Crepe Myrtle

How to grow crepe myrtle in your garden

Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. If the soil is heavy or clay based, to improve the drainage add some gypsum and fork in well.
Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. Water in well.
Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.
Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

To help keep crepe myrtles looking tidy, after flowering has finished, remove as many spent flower heads as possible.
Crepe myrtles may be pruned hard in winter, although this will affect their natural beautiful shape.
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that can infect crepe myrtles and significantly reduce their health. Some varieties of crepe myrtles are more resistant to powdery mildew than others and fungicides can also be applied to protect crepe myrtles from this disease.