Lagerstroemia indica Rubra - Crape Myrtle

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Rubra' is a large Indian Lilac offering a late but lavish summer flowering: its clusters of flowers range from intense red-pink to very bright pink. While it naturally forms a small tree, it willingly adapts to other uses: regularly pruned, it will become a large bush, patiently and meticulously pruned, it will grow on a single stem like a trunk. It also charms with its decorative bark and its dark and shiny foliage that colours in autumn. Eager for sun and heat, this variety will thrive best in southern regions. With multiple advantages, Indian Lilacs are among the most beautiful summer flowering shrubs. As such, they deserve a special place in the garden or on the terrace.

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Rubra' is a quite old cultivar, relatively difficult to find in the horticultural trade, probably forgotten in favour of modern cultivars despite its beautiful presence in the garden. It is a small tree or large bush from the Lythraceae family, native to China. It has a bushy and branched habit, with a rounded crown. It will reach an average height of 4m (13ft) at maturity, with a spread of 3m (10ft). Its growth is quite fast. It needs warmth to bloom and often chooses the middle of July to start its flowering, which continues until October. The flowers are characterised by thin pedicels, each carrying five undulate-edged petals that make up this flower. The flowers, with a texture reminiscent of crepe paper, are gathered in large, dense panicles at the ends of the branches of the current year. In 'Rubra', the buds are red and grey, then they open into intense magenta red with yellow stamens and fade into magenta pink. The deciduous, leathery foliage is born red, then becomes dark green and shiny. It is composed of small ovate leaves, which often take on beautiful yellow, orange, or red hues in autumn before falling. Finally its bark is magnificent on old specimens: smooth, beige striped with brown-red, it peels off in beautifully coloured plates (cinnamon, faded red, old pink, cream).

Indian Lilacs are the pride of Southwest gardens, as they prefer humid and warm Atlantic conditions over dry and windy Mediterranean ones. It is when isolated, near the house, that you can fully enjoy its generosity. It will look good in a shrub bed, a flowering hedge, or emerging from a mound of perennials. Compose a bed like a bouquet, with Artemisia Powis Castle, Campanula pyramidalis, Salvia sclarea, Aster laevis. In autumn, it accompanies the asters, as colourful as itself. In a large pot on the terrace, it puts on a show while summer blooms slow down. You could assemble a trellis of Swany roses and Valerie Finnis artemisia, punctuated by small tufts of lavender and red carnations to dress up the base of its trunk, emphasize its bark, and accompany its sparkling flowering.

Indian Lilacs are also known by many other evocative and charming names: muslin flower, crepe myrtle, lagerose, curly Chinese myrtle, crepe paper flower etc.

NB: Karl Von Linné named this tree in honor of his friend Magnus Von Lagestroem (1696-1759), who had sent it to him from India for identification. Originally, this tree was used to decorate Chinese temples. We would like to point out that this tree produces fruits with a narcotic effect if ingested.