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Tuscarora Crape Myrtle - 5 Gallon
SKU:
1666185
UPC:
014949020470
$54.99
- A profusion of crepe-like coral-pink flower clusters on a small deciduous tree reaching 15 feet tall and wide with bright green summer foliage
- Spectacular orange-red fall foliage and smooth, mottled cinnamon-brown bark provide three seasons of ornamental interest beyond the summer bloom period
- Non-toxic to cats and dogs, waterwise, and tolerant of urban air pollution; excellent multi-purpose landscape tree for Zones 6 through 9
- Ideal as a large shrub accent, specimen tree, or street tree with distinctive exfoliating bark adding winter interest to the landscape
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Tuscarora') is a beautiful and adaptable small deciduous tree that produces abundant clusters of crepe-like coral-pink flowers throughout summer above bright green foliage. Standing 15 feet tall and wide with a naturally rounded habit, it then transitions through spectacular orange-red fall foliage before revealing smooth, mottled, light cinnamon-brown bark for distinctive winter interest. This interspecific hybrid between L. indica and L. fauriei combines the superior mildew resistance and ornamental bark of L. fauriei with the prolific flowering and cold hardiness of L. indica, making it one of the most disease-resistant and multi-season crape myrtles available. Non-toxic to cats and dogs, waterwise, and tolerant of urban air pollution, Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is a versatile, low-maintenance choice for warm-climate landscapes across USDA Zones 6 through 9 seeking a reliable, multi-season ornamental tree with year-round interest.
Plant Details
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Tuscarora' |
| Plant Type | Deciduous Ornamental Tree / Large Shrub |
| Flower Color | Coral-pink |
| Foliage Color | Bright green (summer); orange-red (fall) |
| Bark | Smooth, mottled cinnamon-brown (exfoliating) |
| Bloom Time | Summer |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Growth Habit | Rounded |
| Mature Size | 15 ft. tall and wide |
| USDA Zones | 6 - 9 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Water | Deeply when soil is dry; drought tolerant once established |
| Special Features | Attractive Bark, Easy Care, Fall Color, Waterwise, Non-toxic to Cats and Dogs |
| Landscape Use | Specimen, Privacy Screen, Accent, Street Tree |
Four Seasons of Ornamental Interest
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is one of the finest multi-season landscape trees available. In summer, masses of crepe-like coral-pink flower clusters cover the rounded canopy for weeks, with repeat bloom flushes extending through summer into early fall. As temperatures cool, the bright green summer foliage transforms into a spectacular display of orange-red fall color that makes this one of the most striking ornamental trees in the autumn landscape. In winter, when leaves drop, the smooth, mottled, light cinnamon-brown bark is revealed — beautiful year-round but particularly striking in the winter landscape when most other trees offer little visual interest. Few ornamental trees deliver this level of sequential, multi-season beauty with such consistent reliability.
Sunlight, Watering, and Soil
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle requires full sun with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight for the most prolific flowering, strongest fall color development, and best mildew resistance. Water deeply when soil is dry during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system. Once established, reduce watering frequency significantly; crape myrtles are highly drought tolerant and do not require supplemental irrigation in most regions with average seasonal rainfall. They thrive in average, well-drained soil and do not require rich, heavily amended growing conditions.
Care and Maintenance
- Pruning: Thin young trees in late winter to early spring; leave 3 to 7 main trunks or canopy branches for the most attractive natural form.
- No topping: Never top ("crape murder") crape myrtles — it destroys their natural elegant form and promotes weak, unsightly regrowth.
- Sucker removal: Remove suckers from the base of older trees as they appear throughout the growing season.
- Fertilizing: Feed in early spring with a balanced fertilizer to support vigorous new growth and prolific summer flowering.
- Deadheading: Remove spent flower clusters to stimulate additional bloom cycles through summer and early fall.
Landscape Uses
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle works beautifully as a single specimen tree that provides four-season ornamental interest as a garden focal point. Multiple specimens planted in a row create an effective and beautiful warm-season privacy screen or street tree planting. Its rounded, naturally attractive form makes it suitable for medium-sized residential lots, public parks, commercial landscapes, and streetscape plantings. The exfoliating bark is particularly beautiful in winter when paired with ornamental grasses or evergreen groundcovers that provide textural contrast at the base of the multi-trunk form.
Companion Plants
| Plant | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Ceanothus (Ceanothus) | Blue spring flowers provide cool-toned complement to the coral-pink crape myrtle blooms and similar drought tolerance |
| Lilyturf (Liriope) | Low evergreen groundcover at the base provides year-round green structure beneath the deciduous tree |
| Daylily (Hemerocallis) | Summer-blooming perennial complements the crape myrtle bloom season with colorful warm tones at its base |
| Agapanthus (Agapanthus) | Blue globe flowers in summer provide cool-toned contrast beneath the coral-pink summer blooms above |
| Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis) | Low evergreen shrub with pink spring flowers and glossy foliage provides year-round structure at the tree base |
USDA Hardiness Zones
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is rated for USDA Zones 6 through 9. As an interspecific hybrid between Lagerstroemia indica and the more cold-hardy and mildew-resistant Lagerstroemia fauriei, it combines superior disease resistance with broad climate adaptability. In Zone 6, it is reliably cold hardy with potential for some upper branch dieback in severe winters, from which it typically recovers vigorously. In warmer zones through Zone 9, it performs as a reliable, long-lived, multi-season ornamental tree with exceptional summer flower, fall color, and winter bark interest.
History and Background
Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Tuscarora' is one of the landmark hybrid crape myrtles developed by the U.S. National Arboretum during its pioneering interspecific hybridization program in the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Donald Egolf led this program, which produced the now-iconic series of crape myrtle hybrids named after Native American tribes — including Tuscarora, Natchez, Muskogee, Sioux, Cherokee, Tuskegee, and others — that combined the ornamental appeal of L. indica with the superior mildew resistance and exfoliating bark of L. fauriei. This program fundamentally changed the crape myrtle world, producing trees far more resistant to powdery mildew than pure L. indica cultivars while adding the spectacular exfoliating bark that makes the genus even more ornamentally valuable in the winter landscape.
- A profusion of crepe-like coral-pink flower clusters on a small deciduous tree reaching 15 feet tall and wide with bright green summer foliage
- Spectacular orange-red fall foliage and smooth, mottled cinnamon-brown bark provide three seasons of ornamental interest beyond the summer bloom period
- Non-toxic to cats and dogs, waterwise, and tolerant of urban air pollution; excellent multi-purpose landscape tree for Zones 6 through 9
- Ideal as a large shrub accent, specimen tree, or street tree with distinctive exfoliating bark adding winter interest to the landscape
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Tuscarora') is a beautiful and adaptable small deciduous tree that produces abundant clusters of crepe-like coral-pink flowers throughout summer above bright green foliage. Standing 15 feet tall and wide with a naturally rounded habit, it then transitions through spectacular orange-red fall foliage before revealing smooth, mottled, light cinnamon-brown bark for distinctive winter interest. This interspecific hybrid between L. indica and L. fauriei combines the superior mildew resistance and ornamental bark of L. fauriei with the prolific flowering and cold hardiness of L. indica, making it one of the most disease-resistant and multi-season crape myrtles available. Non-toxic to cats and dogs, waterwise, and tolerant of urban air pollution, Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is a versatile, low-maintenance choice for warm-climate landscapes across USDA Zones 6 through 9 seeking a reliable, multi-season ornamental tree with year-round interest.
Plant Details
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Tuscarora' |
| Plant Type | Deciduous Ornamental Tree / Large Shrub |
| Flower Color | Coral-pink |
| Foliage Color | Bright green (summer); orange-red (fall) |
| Bark | Smooth, mottled cinnamon-brown (exfoliating) |
| Bloom Time | Summer |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Growth Habit | Rounded |
| Mature Size | 15 ft. tall and wide |
| USDA Zones | 6 - 9 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Water | Deeply when soil is dry; drought tolerant once established |
| Special Features | Attractive Bark, Easy Care, Fall Color, Waterwise, Non-toxic to Cats and Dogs |
| Landscape Use | Specimen, Privacy Screen, Accent, Street Tree |
Four Seasons of Ornamental Interest
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is one of the finest multi-season landscape trees available. In summer, masses of crepe-like coral-pink flower clusters cover the rounded canopy for weeks, with repeat bloom flushes extending through summer into early fall. As temperatures cool, the bright green summer foliage transforms into a spectacular display of orange-red fall color that makes this one of the most striking ornamental trees in the autumn landscape. In winter, when leaves drop, the smooth, mottled, light cinnamon-brown bark is revealed — beautiful year-round but particularly striking in the winter landscape when most other trees offer little visual interest. Few ornamental trees deliver this level of sequential, multi-season beauty with such consistent reliability.
Sunlight, Watering, and Soil
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle requires full sun with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight for the most prolific flowering, strongest fall color development, and best mildew resistance. Water deeply when soil is dry during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system. Once established, reduce watering frequency significantly; crape myrtles are highly drought tolerant and do not require supplemental irrigation in most regions with average seasonal rainfall. They thrive in average, well-drained soil and do not require rich, heavily amended growing conditions.
Care and Maintenance
- Pruning: Thin young trees in late winter to early spring; leave 3 to 7 main trunks or canopy branches for the most attractive natural form.
- No topping: Never top ("crape murder") crape myrtles — it destroys their natural elegant form and promotes weak, unsightly regrowth.
- Sucker removal: Remove suckers from the base of older trees as they appear throughout the growing season.
- Fertilizing: Feed in early spring with a balanced fertilizer to support vigorous new growth and prolific summer flowering.
- Deadheading: Remove spent flower clusters to stimulate additional bloom cycles through summer and early fall.
Landscape Uses
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle works beautifully as a single specimen tree that provides four-season ornamental interest as a garden focal point. Multiple specimens planted in a row create an effective and beautiful warm-season privacy screen or street tree planting. Its rounded, naturally attractive form makes it suitable for medium-sized residential lots, public parks, commercial landscapes, and streetscape plantings. The exfoliating bark is particularly beautiful in winter when paired with ornamental grasses or evergreen groundcovers that provide textural contrast at the base of the multi-trunk form.
Companion Plants
| Plant | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Ceanothus (Ceanothus) | Blue spring flowers provide cool-toned complement to the coral-pink crape myrtle blooms and similar drought tolerance |
| Lilyturf (Liriope) | Low evergreen groundcover at the base provides year-round green structure beneath the deciduous tree |
| Daylily (Hemerocallis) | Summer-blooming perennial complements the crape myrtle bloom season with colorful warm tones at its base |
| Agapanthus (Agapanthus) | Blue globe flowers in summer provide cool-toned contrast beneath the coral-pink summer blooms above |
| Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis) | Low evergreen shrub with pink spring flowers and glossy foliage provides year-round structure at the tree base |
USDA Hardiness Zones
Tuscarora Crape Myrtle is rated for USDA Zones 6 through 9. As an interspecific hybrid between Lagerstroemia indica and the more cold-hardy and mildew-resistant Lagerstroemia fauriei, it combines superior disease resistance with broad climate adaptability. In Zone 6, it is reliably cold hardy with potential for some upper branch dieback in severe winters, from which it typically recovers vigorously. In warmer zones through Zone 9, it performs as a reliable, long-lived, multi-season ornamental tree with exceptional summer flower, fall color, and winter bark interest.
History and Background
Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Tuscarora' is one of the landmark hybrid crape myrtles developed by the U.S. National Arboretum during its pioneering interspecific hybridization program in the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Donald Egolf led this program, which produced the now-iconic series of crape myrtle hybrids named after Native American tribes — including Tuscarora, Natchez, Muskogee, Sioux, Cherokee, Tuskegee, and others — that combined the ornamental appeal of L. indica with the superior mildew resistance and exfoliating bark of L. fauriei. This program fundamentally changed the crape myrtle world, producing trees far more resistant to powdery mildew than pure L. indica cultivars while adding the spectacular exfoliating bark that makes the genus even more ornamentally valuable in the winter landscape.
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