Enduring Summer Red Crape Myrtle Shrub

1. Planting: Select a spot with well-drained soil and full sun (6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day) for optimal blooming. After you have found your planting area, make your hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Carefully remove your Myrtle’s root ball from the container, place it into the hole and make sure that the root crown (where the root ball meets the trunk of the shrub) is level with the soil surface.

Tamp down the soil lightly as you backfill the hole to prevent air pockets from forming and then water after you’ve finished.

2. Watering: After planting your young shrub, water about once or twice each week until it’s established. If you live in an especially hot climate, you may need to water up to five times weekly. During the cooler seasons, you’ll only need to water once weekly.

If you’re not sure when to water, simply check your surrounding soil with your finger – if the soil is dry 3 or 4 inches down, it’s time to water.

3. Fertilizing: Your Enduring Summer Crape will benefit from a light application of a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in the early spring and summer. Follow label instructions when fertilizing your Crape.

4. Pruning: You won’t need to prune your Enduring Summer Crape Myrtle unless you’d like to shape it. To encourage branching, make your cuts, with clean shears, on the longer, leggy limbs. Remove any damaged, diseased, or crossing branches during the late winter. Also, remove any low-growing branches (also known as suckers) if you’d like a more upright, tree-like look.