Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Tuesday - August 04, 2009

From: Anniston, AL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Spacing of non-native crapemyrtle in Anniston AL
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

We bought some Dazzle dwarf crepe myrtle bushes. We need to know how far apart to plant them. Thanks

ANSWER:

Lagerstroemia indica (crapemyrtle) is native to Asia and therefore out of our range of expertise. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center we are committed to the care and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. The non-native crapemyrtle has been so extensively hybridized to get different heights, colors and bloom times that there is no telling what feature in your plant's ancestry influences its expected size.