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The crape myrtle “Pink Velour” has dark purple green foliage with bright link pink frilled flowers from June until the first frost.
The heat of summer is what helps the beautiful crape myrtles bloom so well in lovely shades of pure white, pick, rose, red, lavender and purple.
The also come in various sizes, from dwarf plants of 2-3 feet tall to shade providing 30 feet tall or higher.
Two lovely pink crape myrtles that brighten the summer garden include Lagerstroemia indica “Peppermint Lace” and Pink Velour.
“Peppermint Lace has bright pink flowers with pure white frilled lacey edgings. If the tree is planted in full sun, it will flower from July to the first hard frost.
“Peppermint Lace” can grow to a height of 15-20 feet tall with dark green foliage, casting a perfect background for the bright pink and white flowers.
Unlike many of the spreading crape myrtles, “Peppermint Lace” has an upright growth habit, so it will fit nicely in small gardens, as a sunner summer blooming hedge, lining driveways, as a screen, or as a single specimen tree.
The exfoliating bark is also lovely throughout the year, especially in the winter when the flowers and foliage are off the tree and all that is left is the graceful silhouette of the branches covered in grey to multicolored red bark.
The crape myrtle “Pink Velour” has dark purple green foliage with bright link pink frilled flowers from June until the first frost.
The leaves start out wine colored and mature to the distinctive purple green, which makes a wonderful backdrop to the vibrant pink flowers.
The bright pink flowers cover the plant from top to bottom, attracting many lovely pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds.
Due to its smaller size, “Pink Velour” fits into small courtyard plantings as a single specimen tree, but it also can be used as a colorful blooming privacy summer hedge.
“Pink Velour” is a small tree growing only 8-15 feet tall with multiple trunks that present a lovely silhouette in the winter.
Both “Peppermint Lace” and “Pink Velour” need to be planted in full sun and in moist, but well-drained soil.
Once established, they are very drought-tolerant but flower best if watered at least once a week.
Both “Peppermint Lace” and “Pink Velour” bloom on new branches and fill the summer gardens with vibrant color.
(Editor’s Note: Ginny Rosenkranz is a commercial horticulture specialist with the University of Maryland Extension.)