Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

ShrubsTrees

Lagerstroemia subcostata

An upright, deciduous shrub or multi-stemmed tree to 4m tall, with grey, peeling bark revealing brown patches beneath. In summer it bears small clusters of white, pink or pale purple flowers. In autumn the foliage turns orange and red

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
3 suppliers

Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

20–50 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Lythraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Lagerstroemia can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs, with simple leaves and conical panicles of flowers with ruffled petals; some have attractive peeling bark
Name status: Correct
Plant range: E Asia

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, lime-free, moist but well-drained soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by seed, softwood cuttings or semi-ripe cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
City and courtyard gardens
Low Maintenance

Pruning

See pruning group 1; will withstand hard pruning

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly if grown indoors

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely)

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.