Crape Myrtles

Crape myrtles are a favorite in the Southern garden because these heat-tolerant beauties bloom profusely even during the most intense, humid summer heat when little else is in full bloom. Further North (in zone 6, say), crape myrtle trees may die back to the ground in winter, and then re-emerge in spring.... As a result, a plant that becomes a 30' tree in the South may remain a 4' shrub in the North. But you still get to enjoy its fantastic flower clusters!

Here is a link to the University of Georgia Extension Cooperative with a great article with detailed information on planting, watering, fertilizing, and pruning crape myrtles. http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C944/C944.htm