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Botanical name: Lagerstroemia prostrata ‘Rosey Carpet’
Lovely rose-pink blooms cover this distinctively horizontal growing, groundcover variety; great for cascading over walls, borders, rock gardens, and containers; excellent cold hardiness.
Other names: Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle
| Hardiness zone | 5b |
|---|---|
| Flower color | rose |
| Foliage type | deciduous * |
| Plant form | spreading |
| Mature height | 14 inches |
| Spread | 4 feet |
| Light requirements | full sun to partial shade |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | import |
* deciduous = loses leaves in winter
Rosey Carpet Crapemyrtle is smothered in stunning panicles of rose frilly flowers at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. It has green foliage throughout the season. The oval leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.
Rosey Carpet Crapemyrtle is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Rosey Carpet Crapemyrtle is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Mass Planting, Rock/Alpine Gardens, General Garden Use, Groundcover, Container Planting
Rosey Carpet Crapemyrtle will grow to be about 14 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves in alkaline soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Rosey Carpet Crapemyrtle makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
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