Flowering trees are a wonderful way to attract birds and butterflies to your garden, but many yards aren’t big enough for a full-sized tree. Enter the dwarf (or semi-dwarf) crepe myrtle (Lagerstromia), a type of flowering shrub with beautiful, crepe paper blossoms that bloom profusely in white, lavender and pink. The common crape myrtle is a decent-sized tree and can grow up to 30 feet tall—too big for the average garden. Fortunately, there are plenty of dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties that are more common, ranging from 1 to 12 feet in height. The semi-dwarf cultivar ‘Zuni’ has beautiful lavender flowers and attractive brown-gray bark.
This lavender crepe myrtle is a A fast-growing privacy tree that adds color to even the smallest yard. Its bright flowers and sweet fragrance attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. These trees bloom in summer, after many other flowers have faded, meaning they provide a valuable source of pollen during the growing season when food is scarce. In winter, the seeds of crape myrtles attract many species of birds in search of food. Goldfinches, cardinals and dark-eyed juncos are some of the species that enjoy feasting on winter crape myrtle seeds. Keep in mind that crape myrtles don’t provide as much value to wildlife as other flowering trees do—especially when compared to native species. But, although crape myrtle isn’t a significant source of nectar, it’s still attractive to pollinators—especially because it continues to bloom in seasons when there are fewer flowers to pick from.
How to Grow ‘Zuni’ Crape Myrtle
‘Zuni’ prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil. While crape myrtles generally prefer warm climates and warm summers, they can also tolerate cold well and are winter hardy in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 9. ‘Zuni’ is a semi-dwarf variety and can grow 4 to 15 feet tall. That’s it How long does crape myrtle take to grow? Up to that height? Considered medium to fast growing trees, crape myrtles will put on more than 24 inches in height each year.
The best time to plant crape myrtle is fall and early spring. If your soil has a lot of clay, mix in pea gravel or pine bark when planting to improve drainage. Although drought-tolerant once established, your new crape myrtle will need plenty of water during its first season—about two waterings per week if it doesn’t rain. Prime time to prune your crape myrtle tree Winter is late (February is best), but early spring works just as well if you miss that window.
For the smallest crape myrtle options, dwarf varieties are the best choice, rather than semi-dwarf ones like ‘Zuni’. Coming in under 4 feet, these plants are sometimes more shrubs than trees. If the lavender-colored blossoms of ‘Zuni’ aren’t quite your style (or maybe you want to collect even more crape myrtles in an array of colors), there are plenty of other varieties that come in a rainbow of colors. For a touch of pink, 5-foot ‘Pocomoke’ is a great choice. If you want red, 4-foot ‘Tightwad Red’ lives up to its name with its deep scarlet blooms.
