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Shrubs

Lagerstroemia indica 'Twilight'

crape myrtle 'Twilight'

A tall, bushy deciduous shrub or small tree, which can reach a height of just under 5m in ideal conditions. It has dark purple-green foliage which changes to autumn colours, and flowers with crinkled petals which are produced in large, terminal clusters in summer. These emerge a dark plum-purple and then become fuchsia-pink at the tips of the branches, which creates a striking effect with the dark leaves. Brown and grey peeling bark offers more interest throughout the year

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Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, 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: Bushy
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: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, acid to neutral, well-drained soil in full sun. Hot summers are needed for best flowering

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in late spring, or semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Mediterranean climate plants
Patio and container plants
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 1, but will tolerate hard pruning if needed

Pests

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

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely)

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