Today I am going to share some information about a beautiful flowering shrub that has become very popular on Long Island only recently. The Crepe Myrtle is a truly spectacular sight in any garden. They vary in size and color which is necessary to plan for as they vary in size for three to thirty feet from white to red! Depending on the proposed location of the Crepe Myrtle, you may want a dwarf Myrtle that grows to about five feet or you may want a massive one such as the Japanese Crepe Myrtle which reaches a height of about thirty feet! They produce a variety of colors such as white, red, purple, pink, a rose color, and show these 6-8 inch clusters as early as May and with the right care, may last late into the fall! The Crepe Myrtle also has a beautiful bark, that peels and shows different shades of brown and cinnamon colors, making it more unique. The water needs of the plant are also conducive with your lawn’s needs, making it ideal for any garden. I like to place these as secondary focal points in a garden, using the dwarf varieties to add depth to a garden. The larger ones are ideal for the backyard, maybe a free standing tree to offer shade or placed as hedges to give you privacy and beauty in the backyard.