Well, I am one zone higher and the only true red one I see sold locally is Dynamite. It has not bloomed for me yet as I moved them in July (not recommended by the way), but they are doing fine and will probably still bloom this year. If you have a particularly warm and SUNNY site, they would appreciate it. They are very rugged plants--I've never had one flat out die on me. Be patient in the Spring though as they are late to leaf out in colder zones. We had a very bad Winter on the East coast and one Zuni that I assumed was dead took until July to resurrect itself from the roots and is now four feet tall! Good luck!

You don't say what size crapemyrtle you are wanting, but I have a 'Red Filli' crapemyrtle that only gets about 2 feet tall and wide. It dies back completely (which seems to be a characteristic of most crapemyrtles) and then in the very late spring starts growing again. I like the fact that it is small and can fill a space without taking it over.

Another one that I have is 'Victor'. It is listed as 3 feet, but mine is at least 4 feet now and looks very nice. This one sits in a somewhat protected area on the west side of my house. It has come back for the past three years in my zone 6a garden, even though it is listed for zones 7-9.

Vickie

'Dying out completely' for crape myrtles only happens when the Winter is excessively severe--it does not normally occur in a zone 7 winter or higher.