Crape myrtle in zone 7 (flowers, landscaping, grow, trees)

[Esposla]

Hi. Newly built home. It needs some landscaping.
I have a crape myrtle; purple cow variety, to plant. I’m in zone 7; house get 6+hrs of sun a day.
3 Rhododendrons are on the right.
3 azalias on the left.
The Hollys died.

Which spot for crape myrtle ?
In front of house on left ( right of driveway)
On right of house out to side a little.

I thought about on the far right. But even though it grows fast, maybe I want something larger there.
Picture to follow.

[Esposla]

[IMG][/IMG]

[gentlearts]

Right of the house, off the corner. It doesn’t appear there is enough space for it between the walkway and the foundation. Neither does it seem like the plants are getting much water under the eaves.

The crape Myrtle needs room to spread to 5-6’ wide and 10’ tall.

[NC211]

Not by driveway, the flowers will stain the concrete and be a mess to deal with. I would put it about 8-10 feet straight out into the yard from the center point of your mulch bed by the front door. Looks like a good spot for water too, and they like to drink. I have 4 mature crape myrtles in my yard that are 20 years old now. Pruned them once in the last 8 years, won't do that again. We used to have 10 of them, but I removed the three along the driveway as they were ruining the finish on our cars as the flowers would fall in the rain onto the cars and mark them up. Removed the other 3 because they were too close to the house (w/n 5 feet) and causing damage to the gutters and banging against the windows. Previous owner loved crape myrtles, a bit too much.

If you want a decorative center piece tree for the mulch bed, then I would look at the weeping redbud tree. Neighbor has one that is at least 15 years old. Maybe 6 feet tall with the circumference of a large umbrella. Great colors and pretty leaves!

We're in zone 7 as well (VA suburbs of DC).

If you want privacy, I would go with the Thuja Green Giants along the property line. Buy them SMALL and plant them in a row at least 7 feet apart from each other. Use some basic 10-10-10 three or four times a year to feed them, and in about 3-4 years you'll have a nice row of privacy screen along the property line. They get to about 30 feet tall, big ole Christmas trees. We have many in our yard, and my number one piece of advice is to avoid the temptation to buy them in the 10+ height category. They are very heavy, and if you plant them when they're in the 5-7 foot range, it'll give them enough time to establish the root system along with the height to keep them steady and firm. I have two that went in at 14 feet back in 2016. They shifted in 2019 and each one is about half dead now. I've planted about 20 others in the 5-7 foot range over the last 4 years, and they're now bigger than the 14-16. footers that went in back in 2016 and far healthier and fuller. Don't go for the "insta-screen" temptation with them. Go small to start. You'll be very happy that you did before you know it.

[Esposla]

Thank you for replies gentlearts and nc211. The front does have some room. I forgot to mention, we have a septic to consider. So trees need to be within 15’ of house.
Here’s a better picture. I like the right side, at least today I do.
There is a Japanese maple in front; but another smallish tree might help.
Maybe I remove an azalea from under eaves. Looks tight to me.
I didn’t know crape myrtle can make a mess; good to know. A shame you had to take them out, but I guess too much of a good thing.
I think 3 trees on the right side of house might be good idea.
Green giants are nice, but
I like a spruce look. One day at a time.

[Esposla]

[Sarahsez]

Another consideration is what it looks like in winter when there are no leaves. I would go with a larger tree.

[Esposla]

Hmm, right. A larger tree like…. An oak, poplar? It would take a while to grow, right?

[movin2Reston]

I am also in zone seven and I have several crêpe myrtles and they do amazing every summer. Just make sure you’re putting them in the area will go get maximum sunlight.

Originally Posted by Esposla

Hi. Newly built home. It needs some landscaping.
I have a crape myrtle; purple cow variety, to plant. I’m in zone 7; house get 6+hrs of sun a day.
3 Rhododendrons are on the right.
3 azalias on the left.
The Hollys died.

Which spot for crape myrtle ?
In front of house on left ( right of driveway)
On right of house out to side a little.

I thought about on the far right. But even though it grows fast, maybe I want something larger there.
Picture to follow.

[Sarahsez]

I like maples for their bright leaves in the fall. I think you eventually want something of substance. Trees grow a lot over a 5-10 year period if you water, fertilize and properly trim them.