RE: Lagerstroemia in coastal central California

It's intriguing to me that these two varieties do
bloom in Oakland. People often try to grow Nerium in
this climate zone, but only see flowers in exceptional
warm spells. For these Lagerstroemia varieties, the
long growing season may help overcome the factor of
low average-high temperatures. They're still young
trees, too.
-Jason

--- Diane Whitehead <voltaire@islandnet.com> wrote:
> The US National Arboretum lagerstroemias are
> beautiful.  There is no 
> information on whether they require heat to do well,
> though.
> 
> Coastal coolness just doesn't suit a number of
> plants.  I have 
> learned to avoid any that nurseries and seed
> catalogues describe as 
> doing well in hot humid conditions.  I'm the one
> with a 25 year old 
> Catharanthus that has never flowered, bought as seed
> from Parks when 
> it was still called Vinca rosea. It is a handsome,
> shiny-leaved 
> shrub. Cannas are foliage plants also, although I
> can remember one 
> year when one in the greenhouse did have a flower. 
> My Tiger Eye 
> sunflowers finally started to bloom last week.
> 
> Aha!
> I just searched the site and found the relevant
> information, in the 
> FAQs, two sentences about the summer buried in a
> whole screenful 
> about winter hardiness. It might be worth trying one
> against a 
> south-facing wall in a mild-winter area.
> 
>   (in the north) Avoid planting against south-facing
> walls which hold 
> and radiate heat and may cause premature breaking of
> dormancy during 
> brief winter warm spells.  Crapemyrtles are heat
> loving shrubs, and 
> may not bloom well in cool climates. 
> ..........Remember that they 
> need plenty of summer heat to bloom well.
> -- 
> Diane Whitehead  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
> maritime zone 8
> cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter
> - 68 cm annually)
> sandy soil


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