When Do Crape Myrtles Bloom in Florida

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.) is a multi-stemmed and attractive tree or shrub that scientists named from its blossoms. The shrub has flowers resembling a colorful crepe paper. The crape myrtle exists in various species, such as the common crepe myrtle and the Japanese myrtle, which grows up to 25 feet tall.

Commonly, these plants grow in Zone 7 to 9 in the United States, for example, in Florida. Depending on the different factors like the region and the conditions, they bloom in different seasons. This article provides the appropriate response to the common question, when do Crape Myrtles bloom in Florida?

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Identification of the Crape Myrtle

The Crape myrtle is a tree species that grows, or you can grow it in a smaller shrub on your lawn. Most homeowners in Florida cultivate in a different landscape, as the conditions suit its growth. These trees are dwarf varieties that may grow up to between 3 and 5 feet, but the taller types might grow up to even 20 feet.

Most crape myrtle forms buds during spring along with the year’s growth. The trees also have many flowers and hues, ranging from white, dark red, light, and entirely pink. Experts reveal that these crops thrive in slightly acidic and well-drained soils under full or partial sun shades.

Crepe Myrtle Bloom Season

When growing, these plants usually have a signal that shows that they’re beginning to flower. Like the other plants, they’ve got a specific period that they begin to produce the flowers as the season proceeds.

However, the exact time of blooming or flowering of these trees in Florida varies with the different growth conditions or cultivators. So, when do crape myrtles bloom in Florida?

Generally, most Crepe Myrtles in Florida start to bloom in early or mid-summer. Various researches and studies reveal that these shrubs start the blooming in the early summers and continue through the summer season.

Some varieties will continue flowering into early fall, whereas most will bloom until the early frost. Furthermore, you can prolong the blooming period after your Crepe Myrtles flowers.

Experts recommend removing the spent flowers before they dry or produce seeds. Removing the flowers is essential to enhancing the blooming, as it stimulates the shrub or tree to push out blossoms for the second time.

Despite being effective, you’ll realize smaller flowers on the second buds than the prior ones. You can then leave the last tree’s fall flowers to grow into seed heads.

Creme Myrtle blooming habit

The buds may appear on this tree in different seasons or months in the spring. The duration will vary depending on the region and climate. However, when you see the new shoots or buds, it’ll be good to start preparing for the blooming of the trees. You can enhance another flowering season before mid-July by removing the old blossoms after the end of the first blooming cycle.

Importantly, you should follow the appropriate processes to prune the spent flowers. After the pruning, you’re likely to see new buds growing together with the flowers. However, if the plant doesn’t bloom after removing the spent flowers, other causes could be. Thus, you don’t need to hack the whole tree to stimulate the second blooming.

Why does Some Crepe Myrtle Fail to Flower in Florida?

While Crepe Myrtle blooms from early summer through to the first frost, some fail to bloom. We’ve various problems that can cause your trees to fail to flower in Florida. The common problem that makes it hard for some shrubs to fail to flower is the presence of too much shade.

Despite requiring full or partial shade, these trees need some sunlight to flower. Therefore, it’ll be good to provide your trees with up to six hours of daylight daily to enhance their bloom production. Lastly, mechanical damage, for instance, removing the new growth before the plants’ flowers, may also disrupt the floral formation and display.