Lagerstroemia indica Soir dEté - Crape Myrtle

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Summer Evening' is a Lilac of India offering an early, extended and abundant summer flowering of an infinitely delicate candy pink. Its flowering generally begins in July and continues until autumn. This adorable deciduous bush seduces with its supple and graceful habit, its shiny green foliage that changes colour in autumn, and its decorative bark. Sun-loving and heat-resistant, with multiple advantages, the Lilac of India ranks among the most beautiful summer-flowering bushes. This variety, suitable for cultivation in many regions, deserves a special place in the garden or on the terrace.

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Summer Evening' belongs to the Lythraceae family. The Lagerstroemia indica, from which it originates, is native to China. 'Summer Evening' is a very popular cultivar, selected in 1991 at the Demartis nursery near Bergerac, France. This bush has a graceful and spreading habit. It will reach a height of 3 to 5 m (9 ft 10 in to 16 ft 5 in) at maturity, with a diameter of about 3 m (9 ft 10 in). Its growth is quite fast. Its early flowering generally begins in mid-July and lasts until autumn. The flowers are characterised by thin pedicels, each carrying five undulating-edged petals that make up this flower. The flowers, with a texture reminiscent of crepe, are gathered in large, dense panicles at the end of the branches from that year. In 'Summer Evening', the reddish-brown buds open into flowers of a very soft pastel pink, punctuated with golden yellow stamens. The tough and deciduous foliage is dark green and glossy. It consists of small ovate leaves, which sometimes take on beautiful yellow or red tones in autumn, depending on the climate. Lastly, its truly beautiful bark is smooth, beige streaked with reddish-brown, peeling off in coloured strips (cinnamon, faded red, old rose, cream).

Lilacs of India are the pride of gardens in humid and warm Atlantic regions rather than dry and windy Mediterranean ones. This small tree however deserves to be acclimated to colder regions by carefully choosing its location, as its hardiness and vigour allow. It is when isolated, near the house, that you can fully enjoy its abundance. It will look good in a shrub bed, a flowering hedge, or emerging from a mound of perennials. Design a mixed, colourful bed with Campanula pyramidalis, Salvia sclarea, Aster laevis. In autumn, this plant will be accompanied by asters as colourful as itself. In a large pot on the terrace, it puts on a show while summer flowering fades. We have imagined a simple triple-colour vegetal tapestry as a ground cover to highlight the 'Summer Evening' Lilac. A weaving of thymes, oreganos, and silver baskets will dress the base of its trunk, underline its bark, and reflect its sparkling flowering.

NB: Karl Von Linné named this tree to pay tribute to 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 that have a narcotic effect if ingested.