I'm studying Landscape Architecture, and I wanted to redesign a small bed and implement the plan for my mother's Christmas present.

The area is approximately 15' x 15', with one side of the space fronted by the wall of the house. The other 3 sides are open (canopy can overhang).

The overall plan is a Crape Myrtle canopy with an underplanting, possibly a groundcover with bulbs underlayed.

The main question I have is about the Crape Myrtle. I'm looking for a colorful multi-trunked tree, with a wide canopy (in relation to the height of the canopy). I really like 'Dynamite' and 'Arapaho', but the size of these scares me. Like I said, 3 sides of the area are open, so I can off-center the plant and give it about 20' or so of canopy space. Is there a small tree form that I should consider instead? Are these two varieties that I named a bad idea?

Also, my plan for the underplanting was a ground cover (Liriope?) with bulbs coming through. Due to the shallow root structure of the Crape Myrtle, I don't want to use a high maintenance underplanting that risks damaging the roots of the specimen plant. Does anyone have any ideas for this? I'm open to anything on this one, from specific plants to use or even a completely different direction to take this aspect of the design.

All time and opinions are appreciated.

Thanks,

Hunter

Neat project. What part of the country are you in?

Up here in zone 6 Dynamite grows more shrub like due to winter dieback. And I dont think we have been below -2 or -3 F for a decade.

Your spot pretty protected and in suburbia? That probably will make it zone 7 hardy.

The house is on the North side of the site. There aren't any significant winds across it either. It gets full sun all day except late afternoon when it gets shade from Pines.

The 'Arapaho', since it is a newer variety, I saw hasn't been really tested as far as hardiness, and it is listed as Zone 7 hardy, so that might be safe. Any ideas?

In zone 7, I doubt you'll have to worry much about hardiness. I'm in official zone 6 (somewhere in zone 7, in reality) and have seen only very slight dieback on only some cultivars. Most seem unaffected by our low temps. If you want to be more sure, determine your Arborday Hardiness zone (which is more accurate/current than the USDA ratings for most areas).

I don't really understand why you think of 'Arapaho' as such a new cultivar. It's been around since the 90's, so info should be as available as most other cultivars. I think it should be a safe bet for zone 7.

My first step in picking out an appropriate cultivar would be to decide on a preferred color and a preferred size. Then I'd probably go to one of the many lists available online or in literature. Here is one example: Texas A&M Extension Service List of Crape Myrtle Cultivars I would then narrow my choices down by taking form and disease (especially powdery mildew) resistance into consideration.

I wouldn't plant anything real close to the base of the crape. It's a good idea to leave the area bare for easy access while pruning (especially if you plan on influencing the number of trunks), and I think it looks better too. I would especially avoid most bulbs or anything that would require digging and dividing. Digging around crape myrtles frequently cuts through roots and results in unwanted suckers popping up in your flowerbed. If I planted anything close to a crape myrtle, it would be something that could be planted and left, long-term.

Maybe the research page on 'Arapaho' that I found was dated (I didn't exactly check).

I think I may go with that cultivar and then work off of it. The color isn't as deep as Dynamite, but the mildew resistance and bark make up for that in my opinion.

I really think in this scenario that it needs something underneath it. If you don't recommend bulbs, then do you have any other suggestions for me?

Again, I really appreciate the help. I'm looking forward to learning more about annuals and perennials to supplement my knowledge of woody landscape plants.

They are drastically different sizes. 6-10 vs. 20+, so that choice will play a huge part in my overall design...hard to choose based on the space limitations. The larger would provide a dominating effect over the area, while the 6-10 would be more of a focal point among other plants. I like the concept of layering with the 20+, but I don't want something that is too large for the space.

One thing about crape myrtles, that is different from many other choices, is that even the medium sized ones usually grow pretty quickly. You won't have to wait for decades to see results. This means that you really need to consider the mature size of the plants, maybe even more so than you would for something slow-growing that might be replaced before it reached its full potential.

I often underplant crape myrtles with evergreen shrubs/sub-shrubs that don't compete with the color show of the crapes, but your choice needs to be based on your mom's preferences and the particulars of the site.