Other Names:  Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle

Group/Class:  Magic Series

Brand:  First Editions

Description:

This stunning ornamental shrub produces volumes of brilliant red, ruffled blooms in summer; red tinted emerging foliage transforms to deep green in summer, then turns orange-red in fall; a captivating focal point for the garden or border

Ornamental Features

Ruffled Red Magic™ Crapemyrtle is blanketed in stunning panicles of red frilly flowers at the ends of the branches from early to late summer. It has attractive dark green deciduous foliage which emerges brick red in spring. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and turn red and orange in fall.

Landscape Attributes

Ruffled Red Magic™ Crapemyrtle is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. 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.

Ruffled Red Magic™ Crapemyrtle is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Ruffled Red Magic™ Crapemyrtle will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. 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. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. 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. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Ruffled Red Magic™ Crapemyrtle makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. 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.