For vibrant summer color, few flowering plants can compete with the crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). Just look around your neighborhood. Nearly every street in the South is lined with these ...

For vibrant summer color, few flowering plants can compete with the crepe myrtle. Just look around your neighborhood. Nearly every street in the South is lined with these blooming trees from mid-June ...

Crape myrtles are a common sight in southern landscapes, but they are at risk from an invasive insect in the form of crape myrtle bark scale. There are ways to combat this troublesome pest, but ...

correctionIn an earlier version of this article, the last name of a Smithsonian Gardens arborist was incorrectly stated. He is Jacob Hendee, not Jacob Hender. The article has been corrected. The crape ...

Tonya Ashworth shows how to square foot garden and Mr. D. demonstrates a soil drench. This week on The Family Plot: Gardening in the Mid-South, garden expert Tonya Ashworth talks about the basics of ...

Although native to eastern Asia, crape myrtles are indispensable in the Southern landscape. Its vibrantly colored flowers in shades of pink, purple, red and white from May to September virtually ...

correctionIn an earlier version of this article, the last name of a Smithsonian Gardens arborist was incorrectly stated. He is Jacob Hendee, not Jacob Hender. The article has been corrected. Spring ...

They’re arguably the premier summer-flowering shrubs in America, or at least certainly in the South. Crape myrtles bloom three or four times from June into September (provided we don’t butcher them by ...

Driving around New Orleans, it is clear that crape myrtles are likely our most popular flowering tree. They make beautiful street trees, lining neighborhoods with colorful blooms throughout the ...

Now that we’ve had six weeks’ exposure to hot, dry conditions, that’s when the challenging questions start rolling out. (Like an avalanche.) I’ve assembled some of the most common ones in the hopes ...