Early Bird Purple Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia hybrid ‘JD827’ PP22718
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7a-10a Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub
Height at Maturity: 5-6′
Width at Maturity: 5-6′
Spacing: 4′ apart for solid hedges; 8′ or more apart for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Arching, Bushy, Upright, Vase/Fountain Shape
Flower Color: Purple
Flower Size: Medium size clusters
Flowering Period: May repeating through Summer!
Flower Type: Single flowers in clusters
Fragrant Flowers: No
Foliage Color: Green
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: NA
Berry Color: NA
Sun Needs: Full to Mostly Sun
Water Needs: Average, Lower when established
Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist
Soil pH: 5.0 – 6.0 (Acid)
Maintenance / Care: Low
Attracts: Visual Attention
Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought (when established), Heat, Humidity, Insect
Description
If you love crape myrtle, you’re gonna love the Early Bird Purple Crape Myrtle, which is one among a few semi-dwarf Crape Myrtle unique in that it starts blooming a month earlier in the season than other varieties in May! Plant this beauty in your yard and you’ll be extending the crape myrtle flowering season an entire month. What’s more, in our gardens this one has exhibited excellent reblooming qualities repeating for up to 120 days during summer and we’ve seen no powdery mildew on the leaves.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing 5 to 6 feet tall and wide, Early Bird Purple Crape Myrtle is an ideal for use as a specimen, in groupings, or in straight or staggered rows to form a colorful hedge in landscape and flowering shrub borders.
Suggested Spacing: 4 feet apart for solid hedges; 8 feet or more apart for space between plants
Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a, where this Crape Myrtle variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
Early Bird Crape Myrtles are very easy to grow in most any average, moist but well-drained soil and full to mostly sun. Some shade is tolerated but too much shade results in diminished flowering. All varieties of Early Bird Crape Myrtles have shown very high resistance to powdery mildew. No pruning necessary though plants can be pruned to maintain more dense branching and heavier flowering.
Helpful Articles
Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Crape Myrtle shrubs.
How To Plant A Crape Myrtle Shrub Or Tree
How To Fertilize & Water A Crape Myrtle
How To Prune A Dwarf Crape Myrtle Shrub
Choosing The Right Crape Myrtle
Plant Long & Prosper!
Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff
Questions? Contact Us
I was SOOO excited to finally find these. I searched so many retailers and everyone was sold out. I asked Wilson Bros to hold off on shipping because I had a vacation and they politely followed suit. The plants arrived in good conditions, the soil was still wet but some of the leaves had fallen off during shipping so I hope it’s OK. I planted yesterday, hoping they love their new place. —————— WBG Reply – Hi Shelby – Thanks so much for your feedback and review of the Early Bird Purple Crape Myrtle and we hope you enjoy it for years to come. Sometimes during summer, plants, especially deciduous plants, will lose some leaves during transit. This is caused by being in a dark and warm environment for a few days. Once out of the box and planted new roots and leaves will emerge and the plants will be fine. Know that a plant with less foliage will require less water. So just provide enough water to keep the root ball and the surrounding soil damp to moist, not contantly soggy, which can cause problems with the roots. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
This Crape Myrtle arrived in good condition and was planted the same day. It’s a very pretty purple flower with green leaves and true to the picture. It has rained a lot here in Florida but this Crape is holding up well. I also have an early bird lavender that is doing well. Be sure and plant in a sunny spot with good drainage.Wilson Bros Gardens shipped immediately and packed well!
I submitted a review for a beautiful Early bird dwarf I purchased last year. After a terribly, unusually bitter cold winter here in southern NJ, I thought my little beauty had not weathered the winter. Because this is such a plentiful, long blooming plant with an absolutely gorgeous color, I ordered another one to replace the plant I thought was dead. My husband encouraged me to give ‘her’ more time, but I was afraid if I waited there wouldn’t be any more stock available for this year. As with the 1st Myrtle, this one too arrived in excellent condition. Lots of green (I’m assuming the buds were cut back for shipping) and a beautiful shape. It still hasn’t developed buds yet, but I’m confident it will. Back to my 1st Myrtle…to my amazement, this little girl is pushing out strong, sturdy branches from the base!! Now I’ll have TWO of these little beauties in my garden; one in the back garden and the original one up front by the mailbox. This winter I’ll install a burlap “blind” around the two plants. In case we have another tough winter, the shelter may prevent a total die back. Don’t hesitate to order this plant; you’ll not regret it!!!





















Reviews
There are no reviews yet.