BARCHAM’S LAGERSTROEMIAS FLOWER FOLLOWING HOTTEST JULY ON RECORD

Lagerstroemia indica, also known as the Crape Myrtle, was introduced to Kew Gardens in 1759 and is generally hardy in southern England if grown un a warm, sunny, sheltered situation.

A beautiful small tree, Lagerstroemia has most attractively mottled grey and pink bark, while its small, dark green leaves turn flame red in autumn. Its pink or deep red flowers with their curiously crimped petals are, however, a rare treat in this country.

A well documented specimen growing at Borde Hill in Sussex flowered freely in 1911 and again in 1933. It last flowered in the hot summer of 1959, as the flower buds it produced in 1969 failed to open.

Barcham Trees’ Keith Sacre reports that many of the nursery’s Lagerstroemia indica Rosea and Lagerstroemia indica Violacea are both in flower.

“Lagerstroemia is a tree which Barcham staff really love”, he says.

“We have seen it in flower in Orlando, Florida, and in Limoges in central France, but never in the UK until this year. When you consider the Borde Hill tree flowered only three times in the last century, and the last time being nearly 50 years ago, to have many specimens flowering at the nursery is a real thrill for us”.