Lagerstroemia x 'Tuskegee', Tuskegee Crapemyrtle
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'Tuskegee'
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. Performs
well in zone 10. 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
emerge when summer rain returns. Flowers appear for about 100 days in most
years.
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. Note the light gray-tan bark on this cultivar. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people. This is one of the few cultivars well suited for southern Florida. 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. |