Page 21 - North Haven Magazine Issue 39 Summer 2025
P. 21

Bright red Sacramento makes  Miniature Purple Velvet is great
                                                                     a great groundcover.        for small spaces.
                                                                      crapemyrtle.com           crapemyrtle.com

                                     After blossoms fade, Tonto
         Our Tonto is growing with a   makes a splash of fall color.           VERSATILITY
                single trunk.         www.georgeweigel.net     You can use crape myrtles in many different ways. You can
                                                               grow them as a standard tree, or the smaller sizes are per-
                                                               fect for small yards. If you want a colorful ground cover, you
        trees will need water during the late spring and summer,   can consider the miniatures. With their horizontal growth
        but do not overwater during the fall and winter.       pattern and rapid growth, they will cover the ground with
                                                               a long blast of color in the summer. The miniatures are
        Unlike many woody plants, crape myrtles blossom on new   also perfect if you need a hanging plant. Their horizontal
        growth made in the spring and summer. Stimulating new   growth allows them to weep gracefully over the edges of
        growth with proper watering and fertilizing will reward you   pots, window boxes, and baskets.
        with more flowers for a longer time. Lightly fertilizing every
        two to three weeks through the spring and summer will   As we drive around North Haven in the summer, we have
        optimize the growth needed.                            noticed a few crape myrtles in blossom in people’s yards. It
                                                               is easy to recognize them because nearly all the other flow-
                              PESTS                            ering trees and shrubs no longer have flowers! It would be
        Fortunately, crape myrtles are bred to resist pests and tol-  nice to see more crape myrtles in town, and maybe our
        erate colder temperatures now. Occasionally, aphids may  story will stimulate interest in these trees. Because they
        eat the leaves, but these can be easily controlled. If you no-  grow so quickly and flower at a young age, you don’t have
        tice mildew on the leaves, you can treat it with fungicide.  to wait long to enjoy their beauty.
        Usually, the sun will inhibit the growth of mildew. There
        are safe products available for these problems.















































        NorthHavenMag.com                                                                                      21
   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26