White Crape Myrtle varieties such as 'Alba' (Lagerstroemia indica) appear pale pink at a distance as their pure white crinkly flowers open from pink buds/calyxes. When seen up close, the welcome late white flowers on the terrace, in the conservatory or garden are a nice contrast to red flower neighbors and fit perfectly into a small Crape Myrtle collection.

General information:
As soon as you cross the Alps on your way south, the roads are lined with rows of Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica). The small trees or multi-stemmed shrubs provide late summer flowering highlights on both sides of the Alps. Depending on the weather, the bloom with the characteristic crinkled petals starts in August or September with panicles up to 20 cm long. The deciduous trees (they presumably originate from China and not from India) tolerate moderate frost. You can even plant them out in the garden in stony-loamy soil. If the tips of the shoots freeze back in severe winters, this is completely unproblematic, since the branches should be cut back vigorously every year in March/April anyway: The flowers appear at the end of one year old shoots/shoots grown in the same year.

Quality: Mediterranean classic with prolific flowering in fall; attractive trunk with peeling bark; easy to care for & undemanding
Use: in pots from March to November outside on balcony, terrace and in the garden with overwintering indoors; all year round in unheated conservatories; planted out in the garden (with winter protection)