Lagerstroemia indica Souvenir dAndré Desmartis - Crape Myrtle

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Souvenir d'André Desmartis' is a deciduous Indian Lilac with a vibrant red summer flowering, from August to early September. This variety forms a bush with a very regular habit, and is highly vigorous. Its glossy green foliage turns warm shades in autumn. Fond of sunlight and warmth, this variety thrives best in southern regions. With multiple advantages, Indian Lilacs are among the most beautiful shrubs with summer flowering. As such, they deserve a prominent place in the garden or on the terrace.

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Souvenir d'André Desmartis' belongs to the family Lythraceae. The Lagerstroemia indica, from which it originates, is native to China. The cultivar 'Souvenir d'André Desmartis' was selected in 1973 at the Demartis nursery in Dordogne, and named in tribute to its founder. This vigorous bush with a regular habit reaches a height of 3 to 5 metres (10 to 16 feet) at maturity, with a diameter of about 3 metres (10 feet). Its growth is quite rapid. Its flowering usually starts in August and lasts until early September. The flowers are characterised by slender pedicels, each bearing five undulate-edged petals that make up this flower. The flowers, with a texture reminiscent of a crepe, are gathered in large, dense panicles at the ends of the current year's branches. In 'Souvenir d'André Desmartis', the flowering is of an intense deep red. The foliage, leathery and deciduous, emerges red and becomes shiny dark green. It consists of small ovate leaves, which take on beautiful orange and purple hues in autumn, depending on the climate. Finally, its bark is truly beautiful, smooth, beige, striated with brown-red, peeling off in coloured patches (cinnamon, muted red, old rose, cream).

Indian Lilacs are the pride of gardens in southwestern France. Preferring the humid and warm Atlantic over the dry and windy Mediterranean, it is a small tree that deserves to be acclimated in the colder areas of our country, carefully choosing its location. Its hardiness and vigor allow it. It will be fully enjoyed when planted near the house, in isolation. It will make a good impression in a shrub bed, a flowering hedge, or emerging from a mound of perennials. Compose a bed like a bouquet, with Campanula pyramidalis, Salvia sclarea, Aster laevis. In autumn, it accompanies the asters, as colorful as itself. In a large pot on the terrace, it puts on a show while summer flowering takes a break.

NB: Carl Linnaeus 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 with a narcotic effect if ingested.