Lagerstroemia indica "Bayou Marie"

'Bayou Marie' is a compact crape myrtle from the Dixie Series, a group of dwarf selections, chosen by David Chopin of Washington, Pennsylvania and introduced by Hines Nursery in California, in the same series as the purple 'New Orleans'. The flowers are the draw: abundant clusters of crinkled, crepe-textured pink blooms, each petal finished with a darker red to lavender edge that gives the whole shrub a lively, two-toned sparkle through the heat of summer.

Crape myrtle belongs to the loosestrife family (Lythraceae) and hails from China, Korea, and the Indian subcontinent, long grown across the American South as the lilac of the South for a good reason: few shrubs bloom so long and so generously in high summer heat. 'Bayou Marie' folds all of that into a small package of two to three feet, low enough for the front of a border yet flowering with the same abandon as a full-sized tree.

The compact size makes 'Bayou Marie' a natural container plant, happy in a large pot on a sunny patio or terrace where the red-edged pink flowers can be enjoyed at close range. In the ground, this little crape myrtle suits the front of a sunny border, a foundation planting, or a low informal hedge, and takes summer heat, drought, and city conditions in stride once established.

Grow 'Bayou Marie' as any crape myrtle prefers: full sun for the heaviest bloom, well-drained soil, and good air circulation to keep the foliage clean. Deadheading spent trusses encourages a longer show, and a light late-winter tidy keeps the shape without resorting to the harsh crape murder that ruins so many. In a container at the colder end of the range, shelter the pot from hard freezes.