I have a spot that is dying for something decoarative, flowering bushy and kinda tallish…
Purple Magic Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstromia indica) seems to fit the bill , its a semi dwarf that flowers into fall, will provide a focus and some shade and a view block when it hits its projected 6-10 feet in height…
Anyone have any tips or suggestions? Horror stories? Mind you that there is a holly tree right smack in the middle of the railroad so I’m no stranger to unpleasant things dropping on the tracks…
I’ve got a bunch of Crepe Myrtles and they thrive around here. And nothing unpleasant about them either.
Except that I can’t find any locally…SIGH…
Are you looking for that specific variety?
Most larger serious nursery’s, that is, those that cater to the Landscape trade should have some variety’s available. May not be that exact one, but they should carry something similar.
You may have to travel to Charleston to find what your looking for. I’ve delivered to a few garden centers in that town, and a couple had a pretty extensive collection of plants.
Yeah the local folks I used to deal with retired a couple years ago…I just don’t get out and about much these days…Lowes carries them but doesn;t have the purple ones in stock…Need to try the upscale places later this week I reckon…
Ken, Bart,
I like the crepe myrtle for the BlueStone Southern too, and of course we like the blue. I tried to order the blue/purple ones from the local nurseries, but they don’t want to guarentee them in this area. I have a white one about 18-20’ that is protected by the house, and found the shrub variety that comes in blue, supposed to be 6-8’, and shaping them to be small trees. So check for the shrub variety and see if that will be tall enough.
Jane
I’ve been looking for the same sized tree. A Rose of Sharon generally gets 6-8’ if in good soil, but is messy with sprouts coming up all around it. I trim from the bottom and mine are 12-13’, again protected by the house. But my neighbors in normal dirt are 6’ and much older.
I found a holly for 6-8’ which is still alive. 
Also considered a hydrangea tree, but have had no luck keeping them alive.
Rose of Sharon is a real pain to get rid of. Cut it (or a shoot) down and it comes back stronger. I’ve cut the one in my front yard down 3 times. This spring we tied it to the 4WD and yanked it out by the roots. There are still shoots coming up from the broken roots.
A few of the larger wholesale nurseries around here have opened up on the weekends to the general public due to the poor economy. If you don’t mind plunking down $150-200 for a good sized shrub (6’-10’) that you’d have to haul home in your pick up, that may be the way to go, if you can find any in your area. I would much rather deal with those places then a Lowe’s or Home Depot, since these guys are professionals and know what works and what doesn’t in any particular area and only carry those types of plants.
Jon, there are quite a few plants like that. Wisteria, euonymous, bamboo, hibiscus(Rose of Sharon) to name a few, unless you can find a hybrid.
Jon, Ken
I am pretty trigger -happy with roundup to eliminate stuff that just doesn’t belong or was not invited. If you can mow around/under the rose of sharon, or week kill, it can be managed. I have not tried to kill them yet - still killing off the poision ivy and honey suckle in the back treeline. Using the Round up designed for that and it’s doing pretty well.
Jane
Finally found one in the only GOOD greenhouse left (ie open year round and has permanant employees) strangly they were not foreign to the concept of an outdoor railroad…said there were several customers that come in for plants…this warrants further investigation…
Bart Salmons said:
Finally found one in the only GOOD greenhouse left (ie open year round and has permanant employees) strangly they were not foreign to the concept of an outdoor railroad…said there were several customers that come in for plants…this warrants further investigation…
That might be a good one to keep in mind. We have one over in Hockessin DE. that keeps a supply of dwarf and miniature alpine plants that work well for the garden layout. The place is expensive, but they carry a lot of unusual stuff. Most of it comes from Oregon. and is shipped in quart and half gallon pots.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bart_salmons/_forumfiles/teardropmountain07.jpg)
Planted next to Myrtle Rock…
