Lagerstroemia 'Sioux'

wow that's an outstanding specimen. You just can't beat that firey fall color. I have Natchez Crape Myrtle

This has been one of the better ones for fall color but I was impressed with 'Dynamite' this year too. I liked the color on this one best just because it seemed to last a lot longer. I've heard of 'Natchez' but have never seen it, I think it is a hybrid crape myrtle like 'Sioux'

I really like 'Dynamite' and it's aptly named. This one is outstanding. You could be right about Natchez however it does best in my grow zone due to it's cold tolerance.

Are you zone 6 there? 'Sioux' has pretty good cold tolerance too but not sure about 'Dynamite'. I am zone 5 here and have only been able to sort of grow the razzle dazzle crape myrtles outdoors.

I'm in zone 7, just on the fringes it's range. I'm very happy with Natchez. It has many attributes. Muskogee is another I'd really like to have.

Are you near the coast then? I just looked some of them up and read that Muskogee is similar to Natchez but has better fall color. I also read that Muskogee is more prone to aphids and sooty mold and rarely gets bright red color in zone 7 but not sure how true that is. If my 'Sioux' wasn't so large I'd offer to send it to you but if there are any cuttings or small crape myrtles you want I have several. If you're interested in a crape myrtle with fiery fall color 'Sioux' would be a good one, some others I know of are 'Tonto', 'Raspberry Dazzle' and 'Cherry Dazzle'.
I would love to live in one of the northeastern states, the soil and temperatures are better for growing a nice variety of plants. I remember traveling through Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut and wishing I could grow the mountain laurels, sourwood and Cryptomeria like I saw over there. Most of those plants aren't even sold in Michigan.

Yes, I'm right on the coast not too far from the ocean. The Ocean really helps to moderate temperatures so our extremes aren't too bad. I probably only have space for one of the dwarf varieties. Any one of them would be nice - Rasp or Cherry Daz. That is very kind of you to offer. Thanks for the info on the Sioux variety. You never really find these things out until only after it's planted so I really value your advice. Are you looking to get rid of you Crepe Myrtle tree? My Natchez is getting quite huge for it's space. Maybe I should replace it with a smaller variety - Tonto! Enjoy your holiday.

Paul

I was planning on getting rid of 'Sioux' and 'Raspberry Dazzle'. I have Sioux potted and it needs to be planted or potted up. I don't want it any larger and it won't survive in the ground here. It's a medium-sized variety to about 15' and I might start some cuttings before I throw it out. The Raspberry Dazzle is planted in the ground, some years it dies back like a perennial and some years it doesn't. It has nicer looking foliage than Cherry Dazzle but overall Cherry Dazzle is one of the best dwarf varieties I have seen. Siren Red is smaller than most, 9-10' tall at maturity and has darker red flowers than Dynamite or Cherry Dazzle. I have cuttings or plants of all those varieties that I could ship so if there is any you want to try I don't mind shipping them at all.
Thanks, enjoy your holiday too!
Bob

Thank you so much Bob. I was very smitten with Cherry Dazzle and it's the perfect size for my driveway. I read that it can't handle temperatures below 10F. We rarely get through a winter without a few dips into the single digits, occasionally temps can dip to -10f (minus 10F). Yes that's with ocean moderation.

I'm sure you heard of 'Alberta Clippers' - a bubble of arctic air that comes down from the North Pole and sits over us a few days. We get Alberta Clippers usually latter part of January - February. Temps can get down to -20F especially overnight.

As much as I'd love a couple clippings of Cherry Dazzle, I'm concerned if it can handle the occasional Alberta Clipper. They can last a couple days. Last year we really got hammered with a major winter storm almost weekly. If you don't think it would be a problem. Then I'd love for you to send me a couple cuttings of it. Let me know what you think - then I'll PM my mailing address. I hope you are Enjoying the holiday season.

Best Regards,

Paul

If you can grow 'Natchez' I don't think you'll have any problem at all with 'Cherry Dazzle'. The razzle dazzle series of crape myrtles were bred to be dwarf and cold hardy so they are some of the best in terms of cold hardiness, especially Cherry Dazzle. The only potential problem would be size, the cuttings I have were rooted over this past summer and are still very small. Usually I wait until they are big enough to fill out a 1 qt or 1 gal. pot before planting them but that shouldn't take too long. If you want a larger plant to start with, I can send you my 'Raspberry Dazzle' but Cherry Dazzle really is a much nicer plant.

Thanks Bob, the dwarf size of Cherry Dazzle is exactly what I'm looking for. It's perfect for the area I have in mind for it - along the driveway. I think 2 or 3 saplings would make a nice little hedge - and you can't beat that color! I only want it to grow about 3 feet tall. If you think this would work - I'll PM my address. I'm very grateful for your generosity.

I think they would work perfectly and if they grow more than 3' you can chop them back. My original plant is 7 years-old and still around 2' tall. I will see how many cuttings I have and try to send you 4-5 just in case you lose one. You may want to grow them in a container until the end of next summer before planting them, just to maximize their chance of survival. If you'd rather e-mail your address you can send it to wrightrobertkeith@gmail.com. I don't mind giving them away at all, that is why I propagate them and I hope you enjoy them. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Thank you so much Bob. I never thought it was possible to ever get this plant. I never see them on sale anywhere. Not a problem anymore. Thank you and Happy Holidays.

Paul