Crape myrtles are a popular addition to many landscapes, known for their summer blooms and attractive form. The ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle is a unique cultivar, offering desirable traits for enhancing outdoor spaces. Its appeal lies in its extended flowering season and appealing foliage, providing visual interest for months.
Distinctive Features of ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle
The ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica ‘PIILAG-VI’ PP#23,559) offers several notable characteristics. Its vibrant cherry-red blooms appear in large clusters from mid-summer through early fall. This cultivar is bred for its reblooming ability, producing continuous waves of flowers on the same panicles, providing extended color without deadheading.
Beyond its floral show, the foliage adds visual interest. New growth emerges wine-red in spring, maturing to deep green. In autumn, leaves transition to brilliant orange and red, providing seasonal appeal. This semi-dwarf shrub reaches a mature height and width of about 6 to 10 feet, suitable for various landscape applications.
A key advantage of the ‘Double Feature’ cultivar is its resistance to common crape myrtle diseases. It exhibits high resistance to powdery mildew and leaf spot, contributing to healthier foliage. Additionally, this sterile variety does not produce seed capsules, allowing the plant to direct more energy into continuous flowering.
Planting Your ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle
Selecting an appropriate site is important for successfully planting your ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle. These plants thrive in full sun, requiring at least six hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal flowering. Adequate air circulation around the plant also promotes healthy growth and flower production.
Crape myrtles adapt to a wide range of well-draining soil types, including clay, loam, and sand. A moist, well-drained soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5 is preferred. If your soil is heavy clay or overly sandy, incorporate organic matter like compost to improve drainage and nutrient availability.
When planting, dig a hole three times wider than the root ball, but only as deep as the root ball itself, allowing roots to spread easily. Gently loosen the roots before placing the plant, ensuring the top of the root ball is level with or slightly above the soil line to prevent planting too deeply. After backfilling, water thoroughly to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets. If planting multiple ‘Double Feature’ crape myrtles, space them 6 to 9 feet apart for proper growth and air circulation.
Ongoing Care for ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle
Proper watering is important for the establishment and health of your ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle. Newly planted specimens require consistent moisture, benefiting from deep watering one to two times per week during their first growing season (several months to a year). This encourages a robust root system. Once established, crape myrtles are drought-tolerant, but benefit from deep, infrequent watering during prolonged dry periods, especially when receiving less than an inch of rain per week.
Fertilizing promotes vigorous growth and abundant blooms; a balanced fertilizer (8-8-8 or 10-10-10) or a slow-release granular product is suitable. For newly planted crape myrtles, a light application of about one teaspoon monthly from March to August is beneficial. Established plants thrive with one application in spring before new growth emerges, or light fertilization every two weeks during the growing season. Avoid over-fertilization, as too much nitrogen can lead to excessive foliage growth at the expense of flowering. Fertilization should cease in fall to allow the plant to prepare for dormancy.
Pruning shapes the plant, encourages new blooms, and removes undesirable growth. The ‘Double Feature’ cultivar’s compact, semi-dwarf nature means it requires minimal pruning, best done in late winter or early spring while dormant. Remove suckers from the base and any lower branches within the bottom third of the tree to expose its bark. Thin out crowded or crossing branches from the canopy to improve air circulation. Avoid severe topping, known as “crape murder,” as this practice leads to weak growth and diminishes the plant’s natural beauty.
For gardeners in colder climates (outside USDA Zones 6-10), container growing allows ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtles to be brought indoors for winter protection. Established crape myrtles are resilient, but young plants, especially during their first year, benefit from a layer of mulch around the base. This conserves soil moisture, regulates temperature, and protects the roots.
Addressing Common Crape Myrtle Issues
While ‘Double Feature’ Crape Myrtle is disease resistant, it can still encounter certain issues. Aphids are a common pest that affects crape myrtles. These small, pale yellowish-green insects with black spots feed on the undersides of leaves, sucking plant sap. As they feed, aphids excrete a sticky, sugary substance called honeydew.
This honeydew leads to the growth of sooty mold, a black, superficial fungus that can coat leaves and stems, reducing the plant’s aesthetic appeal and hindering photosynthesis. While ‘Double Feature’ is resistant to powdery mildew, sooty mold is a secondary issue caused by aphid infestations, not a direct plant disease. Managing aphids effectively controls sooty mold; this can be achieved by dislodging them with a strong water spray or applying insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.
Environmental factors can lead to visible stress, such as yellowing leaves. While some leaf yellowing is normal in late summer and fall as the plant prepares for dormancy, yellowing outside these periods indicates a problem. Common causes include improper watering (both overwatering and underwatering), nutrient deficiencies (nitrogen, iron, or magnesium), and over-fertilization. Observing the yellowing pattern and assessing watering and fertilization practices helps diagnose and address these concerns.