A Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs variety, Lagerstroemia Center Stage® Pink Crapemyrtle is a deciduous shrub or small tree that blooms summer to fall, sometimes to first frost. Long and heavy blooming, the plant flowers in terminal clusters of crepe-papery, intense magenta pink flowers set against a dramatic backdrop of thick, leathery black leaves that hold their intense color into fall. The flowers attract pollinators, especially bees, in summer, and its handsome exfoliating bark offers winter appeal.
Highly popular in southern gardens, crapemyrtle has vigorous growth and an upright, wide-spreading, multistemmed habit, but it can also be grown as a single stem. Crape myrtle works well as a specimen, foundation, or hedging plant.
Easy care, crapemyrtle grows best in sunny locations with medium moist, well-draining soil but is widely adaptable, even to compacted urban soils, including clay. Center Stage® Coral Crapemyrtle is heat, mildew, and deer resistant. It blooms on new wood. Pruning should generally be avoided, limited to creating a desired form.
Bred by Megan Mathey, Center Stage crapes were trialed and tested at the University of Florida with the breeding goal of earlier blooming, intensified foliage color, and reduced mildew. Out of thousands of plants, only the best, cleanest, most vigorous growing crapes have been selected to be part of this top flight series, and Center Stage® Pink was one of the best performers.
