About
Lagerstroemia indica With Love Eternal ('Milavio'PBR) (With Love Series) is a cultivated form of Lagerstroemia indica, a multi-stemmed, deciduous tree valued for its summer flower panicles. It blooms July to September. The bark is thin, pinkish‑grey and peels each year, while leaves turn yellow, orange and red in autumn before falling.
About the genus
Lagerstroemia, commonly known as crape myrtle, is a genus of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and other parts of Oceania, cultivated in warmer climates around the world. It is a member of the family Lythraceae, which is also known as the loosestrife family. These flowering trees are beautifully colored and are often planted both privately and commercially as ornamentals.
Wikipedia contributors, "Lagerstroemia", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Lagerstroemia
In the garden
Lagerstroemia indica With Love Eternal ('Milavio'PBR) (With Love Series) belongs to the Lythraceae family and is a selection of the species Lagerstroemia indica, native to parts of East, South and Southeast Asia. Plants of this species typically form multiple stems and a rounded crown; their seasonal cycle includes leaf drop in winter and early re-leafing in spring. Flowers appear in compact panicles and occur in a range of colours, with crimped petals that catch the eye from July to September. After flowering the blooms set small, dehiscent capsules; the lasting fruit and the exfoliating, mottled bark extend the plant’s seasonal interest beyond the flowering months. Leaves are small, smooth-edged and dark green through summer, turning yellow, orange and red in autumn. In a UK setting it is most often used as a small specimen tree or multi-stemmed shrub where its summer display and winter bark can be read at close range. It also provides nesting opportunities for small birds such as wrens and other songbirds. Note the persistent fruit capsules and flaking pinkish‑grey bark, features that give winter structure when the plant is bare.
From the Fenn Plants journal
- Notes on DaffodilsWhen to plant daffodil bulbs in the UK, how deep, how to naturalise them in grass, why daffodils stop flowering (“blindness”), and why you should never mix cut daffodils with other flowers.
- Keeping Your NerveHow to garden through a heatwave — the best time to water, why deep soaks beat daily sprinkles, caring for pots and vulnerable plants, and why you can let the lawn go brown.
- Made to LastHow to clean, store and protect garden pots and planters — the frost-proof vs frost-resistant difference, winter care for terracotta and ceramic, and how to reuse a broken pot.
