Lagerstroemia indica x fauerei "Pocomoke"

'Pocomoke' is one of the smallest crape myrtles in cultivation, a dense, dwarf mound released by the U.S. National Arboretum in 1998 from the breeding program of Dr. Donald Egolf. A hybrid of the common crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) and the Japanese species (Lagerstroemia fauriei), 'Pocomoke' belongs to the group of Arboretum introductions named for Native American tribes and rivers, and carries the deep rose-pink flowers that set the selection apart at such a tiny scale.

Through the warm months, from mid summer into fall, the low cushion of dark green foliage lights up with bright, deep pink flowers, small but abundant and vivid against the leaves that turn reddish-bronze as the season closes. The plant holds a tight, dense, mounded form unaided, commonly two to three feet high and as wide and reaching about five feet over many years, needing no pruning to keep the shape, a rare thing among crape myrtles.

Both parent species were chosen for toughness, and 'Pocomoke' inherits real disease resistance, standing out for excellent resistance to the powdery mildew that disfigures so many older crape myrtles. Drought tolerant once established and happy in heat, this little hybrid asks very little beyond sun and drainage.

In the garden, 'Pocomoke' shines toward the front of a planting: a rock garden, a border edge, a low mass in a hot, sunny bed, or a container on a patio where the deep pink flowers can be enjoyed at close range. The mounded habit reads tidy and deliberate without shearing, and the modest scale suits small spaces. Photo courtesy of Jim Robbins.