Walton's Plant Library

Other Names:  Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle

Group/Class:  GreatMyrtle Series

Brand:  GardenChoice

Description:

This attractive compact variety produces amazing delicate candy pink blooms from summer until frost, followed by orange fall foliage; a captivating focal point for the garden or border; perfect for mass plantings; exceptionally hardy

Ornamental Features

GreatMyrtle™ Cotton Candy Crapemyrtle features bold panicles of shell pink frilly flowers at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive dark green deciduous foliage. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding orange in the fall. The red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

GreatMyrtle™ Cotton Candy Crapemyrtle is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

GreatMyrtle™ Cotton Candy Crapemyrtle is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

GreatMyrtle™ Cotton Candy Crapemyrtle will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

GreatMyrtle™ Cotton Candy Crapemyrtle makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.