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Lagerstroemia x 'Acoma', Acoma Crapemyrtle

'Acoma' grows best in full sun with rich, moist soil but will tolerate less hospitable positions in the landscape just as well, once it becomes established. However, plants left on their own in highway medians appear to be less vigorous unless ample mulch is applied and maintained out to the drip line. The best plants are often located in irrigated landscapes. Plants defoliate in severe drought but new foliage and flowers typically emerges when rain returns. Flowers are produced for about 90 days on this cultivar.

It grows well in limited soil spaces in urban areas such as along boulevards, in parking lots, and in small pavement cutouts if provided with some irrigation until well established. They tolerate clay and alkaline soil well. New growth can be pinched during the growing season to increase branchiness and flower number. Flowers are not produced in great numbers. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people. Note the wonderful horizontal branching pattern and gray bark on this cultivar.

Many crapemyrtles are magnets for a host-specific aphid that only infests crapemyrtle, not other plants. The damage this causes is not lethal to crapemyrtle. Many beneficial insects which feed on pests that damage other landscape plants use this aphid for food. In this way, the crapemyrtle aphid serves as prey for beneficial insects. Therefore, planting crapemyrtle that attract aphids can enhance biological control of insect pests on other plants in the landscape.