Natchez Crape Myrtle

Common Name: Natchez Crape Myrtle

Scientific Name: Lagerstroemia Natchez

Origin: Hybrid

Family: Lythraceae

Bloom time: Summer

Every summer, the Crape Myrtle Allee gets a welcoming canopy of delicate white panicles thanks to the ever-beautiful collection of Natchez Crape Myrtles that line it. 'Natchez' is a cross between L. indica and L. fauriei, a hybrid developed by the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Cooler climates may experience this Garden favorite as a shrub, but in the South, as you'll see in the Garden, they grow more like trees, reaching over 21 feet.

In addition to the exfoliating bark that adds winter interest, the Crape Myrtles are wrapped in thousands of LED lights during the annual Garden Lights, Holiday Nights exhibition, which makes for a spectacle during evenings.