Lagerstroemia indica 'Conlagras' PP 29,006 - Bellini Raspberry Crape Myrtle

This beautiful dwarf crapemyrtle produces volumes of rich, rose-red blooms, over dark green, glossy foliage; early blooming, and has excellent mildew resistance; a captivating focal point for the garden or border; also good for container planting

Height: 4 feet. Spread: 4 feet. Sun: full sun to partial shade. Hardiness zone: 6a.

Ornamental features

Bellini® Raspberry Crapemyrtle is clothed in stunning panicles of rose frilly flowers with red overtones at the ends of the branches from late spring to late summer, which emerge from distinctive dark red flower buds. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The glossy oval leaves turn orange and yellow in fall.

Landscape

Bellini® Raspberry Crapemyrtle is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Recommended for: Mass Planting, Hedges/Screening, General Garden Use, Groundcover, Container Planting.

Planting and growing

Bellini® Raspberry Crapemyrtle will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder.