Native Plants

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A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Wednesday - March 23, 2011

From: Raleigh, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Problems with non-native crape myrtle from Raleigh NC
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have two crepe myrtles that were planted last year, did well all summer long. We had some freezing weather and this spring their buds are brown with little white flakes(very sparingly) and no leaves. Are they dead or is there something I can do to revive them ?

ANSWER:

What you have is Lagerstroemia indica, crape myrtle, as described in this Floridata article. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the growth, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the areas in which they are being grown. Lagerstroemia indica originated in Asia, and therefore falls out of our area of expertise and does not appear in our Native Plant Database.

Gardening Know How has a website Information on Crepe Myrtle Tree Problems