Plant of the Week---Crape Myrtle

The Crape Myrtle has taken over in our region as summer's blooming tree. Once considered a strictly southern tree, Crape Myrtles, Lagerstroemia, have worked their way into Maryland's USDA Zone 7 transitional hardiness zones. Breeding for better hardiness, including disease tolerance, has made this smaller tree a regional favorite. Our National Arboretum is responsible for much of the hybridization that has improved the Myrtle. Dr. John Creech introduced plants from a colder site in Japan that crossed the indica species with the fauriei species, responsible for so many new introductions over recent years.

Mottled gray and tan bark adds interest to the already beautiful tree with large panicle flowers in colors like purple, pink, red and white. Crape Myrtles also feature great fall color as the small leaves turn shades of gold and red in autumn.

Crape Myrtles do well in clay soil with slightly acidic pH. They prefer full sun for flowering; my dwarf Crape Myrtles struggle to bloom in a lightly shaded area. Water frequently when installed for the first year or so. They become drought tolerant once the roots are well established.

Suckers often grow from the base off the trees. Prune them as they appear. The tree requires only light pruning in the early spring. Crape Myrtles will begin to bloom in July in our mid-Atlantic region.

Use as a specimen tree as my neighbor has at his driveway's entrance, or in mass plantings as I've seen in area city scapes and parking areas. Small Crape Myrtles can also be used in container plantings, though they may need protection from winter's freezing temperatures. 

For more information on Crape Myrtles, visit Southern Living's website. Steve Bender, aka, The Grumpy Gardener, provides great tips for caring for this southern favorite that has migrated north to Maryland. 

Visit out nursery for a close look at the various heights, shapes, foliage and flower color of the many Crape Myrtles we carry. Click on the Plant Finder tab located on out Valley View Farms website for descriptions, photos, and more cultural information.

Enjoy Maryland's favorite summer flowering tree. You will seem them everywhere!

FAQs for Early Spring

Frequently asked questions by our customers come to us via phone and email all the time. All of us at Valley View Farms love to talk to customers who ask questions about everything from plant availability to day to day care of plants. Here are some of the questions that we are hearing a lot this year.

I planted a crepe myrtle last year and it hasn't started to leaf out yet. Should I be worried?

Crepe myrtles are slow to leaf out in early spring

No. Crepe myrtles are late bloomers and often will start to leaf out in later April into early May. People occasionally wish to prune crepe myrtles, maybe to force new growth, but we find that they do best growing in their natural state. They may certainly be pruned to remove dead branches or  any that may get in the way of a walkway or driveway.

Speaking of plants that are slow to emerge in the spring, hardy hibiscus also show growth later than many other perennials. Be patient; the new stems and leaves will be up later this spring.

When should I cut my mums back to encourage blooms in the fall?
 Mums should be cut back a few times to promote good branching and blooming. Easy to remember holidays, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day and the 4th of July, are ideal times to cut mums back to about 8 inches. Depending on the varieties planted, and, of course the weather, mums will bloom for 6-8weeks from September until November.

My hydrangeas have not bloomed well for the last few years. What can I do to encourage better bloom?

Look closely and you'll notice a few dead stems above the blue hydrangeas. Simply prune them off as leaves and blooms emerge.

 Hydrangeas do well in morning sun with some protection from the hot afternoon sun. There are several varieties that bloom on old wood and others that bloom on new wood. Pruning at the wrong time could impact the blooms on some varieties. Cold weather, especially late freezes for the last couple of years, may have hurt early blooms; plants will generally leaf out and bloom later in the season.

All sorts of weeds have emerged in and around my lawn this year. What is the best way to identify them and get them out of my lawn?

Mouse Ear Chickweed

 

Hairy Wintercress

Ground Ivy

Identifying the weeds is a good first step. University of Maryland Extension is a great resource for identification. Better yet, bring your problem weed to us to look at and we can discuss options for eliminating them using synthetic or natural controls. Bring a large coffee cup-sized soil sample as well. Simply correcting the pH of the soil is one way to help create a healthy lawn. Valley View Farms offers these services free of charge.

Several of my broadleaved evergreen shrubs have sections of browning and yellowing. What might be causing this damage?

It is hard to say without taking a closer look. Yellowing and browning can be caused by winter windburn, late season disease or insects, a dog doing his thing, and all sorts of other reasons. Bring in a large sample of the damage; we can put the branch under a microscope to look for pests and ask some questions to try to narrow down the problem and suggest a solution.

Is it safe, temperature wise, to plant my vegetable garden?


Hold off on planting tomatoes until all danger of frost is gone, usually about May 10 here in Cockeysville. Look for our Tomato Tornado on the last weekend of April for a selection of 70 varieties. Before and after the "tornado" lands, we will have 40 varieties available.

Cole crops, like broccoli, cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts are ready to go out in the garden. Ours have been hardened off to withstand colder temperatures. Peas, onions, carrots and other cold hardy plants can be planted now as well. Wait until later in April or May, depending on where you live, to plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squashes and cucumbers.

We will continue to add questions and answers to this blog for the next week or two.  Feel free to leave a question in the comments. For the quickest reply, call our garden center at 410-527-0700. Our receptionist will get you to the right person to check on availability or answer your question.