Coral Magic Crape Myrtle is a stunning flowering shrub with several unique features that make it a popular choice among gardeners. This variety of crape myrtle is known for its vibrant coral-colored flowers, which appear in large clusters during the summer months. The flowers are densely packed, creating a beautiful display of color that can be enjoyed for several weeks. One of the exceptional qualities of Coral Magic Crape Myrtle is its ability to attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees. The flowers produce abundant nectar, which these beneficial insects find irresistible. This makes it an excellent choice for creating a pollinator-friendly garden and promoting biodiversity.
Coral Magic Crape Myrtle
The Coral Magic Crape Myrtle brings months of color to your garden, starting with red foliage in spring, as the new leaves emerge. By June the first flowers will be opening, and their vibrant coral-pink color will fill your garden with joy. All through summer blooming never stops, and the foliage remains healthy and fresh, because unlike older varieties this bush is resistant to unsightly leaf diseases. Its moderate size – just 6 to 10 feet tall and across – makes this beauty ideal for a smaller garden, or a lower screen or informal hedge. Through all the warmer zones this plant will thrive, resisting drought and heat and creating magical color. Plant it as a specimen on a lawn, or even in large planters to bring height and interest to your terrace, pool area or patio.
- Rich red spring foliage for early color
- Smothered in coral-pink flowers all summer and into fall
- Thrives in full sun, poor soil, and urban conditions
- Disease resistant, so always clean and attractive
- Easily trimmed to control the height and keep it bushy
Plant the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle in full sun, for maximum blooming and leaf color. It will grow in any well-drained soil, including sands, gravels and even clay. It thrives in urban conditions, and near the sea too. Unlike older varieties of crape myrtle, this plant has been selected for resistance to powdery mildew and Cercospora leaf spot, diseases that blight the foliage and cause premature leaf drop. Always healthy, this handsome shrub will rapidly grow into a graceful feature in your garden, and be beautiful for months on end, with no effort at all from you.
Crape Myrtles are terrific plants for long-term blooming throughout summer and into fall. But in spring they are just green – attractive enough, but certainly not eye-catching. Something more magical is needed, and for that we have the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle. This fabulous new variety features spring foliage that is a handsome red color, brightening your garden long before blooms appear. That powerful color makes the perfect backdrop to your spring shrubs, or a colorful specimen in its own right.
Later the leaves will turn a rich dark green, but by then the blooms will have taken over – and what blooms they are! Large trusses of bright, coral-pink flowers cover the plant for months, beginning in mid-June, and only reluctantly ending when the first frost arrives. Even in winter it has charm, with its curious seed pods, and attractive, peeling bark in mixed shades of gray and brown. This plant certainly packs a lot of brilliance into a small space.
This makes it an excellent choice for creating a pollinator-friendly garden and promoting biodiversity. In addition to its stunning blooms, Coral Magic Crape Myrtle also offers attractive foliage throughout the year. The leaves are dark green and have a glossy appearance, adding to the plant's overall aesthetic appeal.
Growing Coral Magic Crape Myrtles
The Coral Magic Crape Myrtle grows rapidly into a compact, rounded form between 6 and 10 feet tall and around, depending on location, and even more on how much it is trimmed. The richly-colored foliage remains clean and healthy all season, because unlike older varieties it has been bred to have excellent resistance to powdery mildew and other leaf diseases. The elliptical leaves are almost 2 inches long, and an inch wide. They emerge in spring bright red, and slowly turn deep green, remaining glossy and rich.
The coral-pink flowers are carried in big clusters, 4 inches long and 3 inches across, at the end of every new branch. Each flower lasts a day, before dropping away cleanly, but the clusters continue to flower for about 2 weeks. Almost as soon as a cluster finishes, new ones form just below it, keeping your bush in bloom from early June to at least the end of September.
Uses in Your Garden
This beautiful shrub is just the right size for a specimen in a smaller garden; as an informal screen or hedge to give privacy, planted along a driveway for an elegant and colorful entrance; behind other shrubs as a backdrop; or even in large containers around your terrace, pool or patio. With its ease of growth, hardiness in zones 7, 8 and 9, and its months and months of color, the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle is hard to beat – and why even try to?
Planting Location
Plant the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle in full sun for maximum flowering, strong leaf color and dense, bushy growth. This plant is very easy to grow, thriving in any well-drained soil, including sands, gravels and heavy clays. It is resistant to urban pollution, making it ideal for a town garden, and also to salt-drift, so it does well near the sea too. Its rapid growth means you will soon have a wonderful plant filling that hot, dry, difficult spot in your garden. Once established crape myrtles are very drought-resistant, so your plant will continue to grow and bloom even during long hot and dry periods.
Care and Maintenance
You can encourage continuous bloom by removing spent flower clusters as the last flower falls. Cut back just to the first leaf – new shoots will soon emerge and bloom. Stop doing this in early fall, so that you also get a crop of those handsome seed pods. You can trim the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle in late winter or early spring, before or at the same time as new growth emerges. To keep a smaller, more compact form, trim hard, cutting the previous-years growth back to just a couple of inches. For a larger bush, just remove the top section of the branches, and any broken or weak growth. Do not trim new shoots, as this will delay or prevent flowering, which happens on the ends of new branches.
The foliage emerges in spring and remains until the fall, providing a lush backdrop for the vibrant flowers. Another noteworthy feature of this crape myrtle variety is its compact size. Coral Magic typically reaches a height of 4-6 feet and a spread of 3-4 feet. This makes it an ideal choice for smaller gardens, container planting, or as an accent plant in larger landscapes. Its compact nature also makes it easier to maintain and prune, allowing for greater control over its shape and size. Coral Magic Crape Myrtle is relatively low-maintenance and adapts well to a variety of soil and weather conditions. It prefers full sun exposure but can tolerate partial shade. Regular watering is necessary during the establishment period, but once established, it becomes more drought-tolerant. This variety of crape myrtle is also known for its disease and pest resistance. While some crape myrtle species are susceptible to powdery mildew and aphid infestations, Coral Magic has shown a high level of resistance to these common issues. This makes it a more reliable and hassle-free option for gardeners. In conclusion, Coral Magic Crape Myrtle is a captivating flowering shrub that offers a range of desirable features. Its vibrant coral flowers, attractive foliage, compact size, pollinator attraction, and disease resistance make it an excellent choice for adding color and interest to gardens of all sizes. Whether used as a single specimen or planted in groups, this crape myrtle variety is sure to make a lasting impression..
Reviews for "The Versatility of Coral Magic Crape Myrtle in Landscape Design"
1. Jane Smith - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle. The color of the blooms in the pictures looked vibrant and beautiful, but in reality, they were dull and lackluster. Additionally, the tree didn't grow as tall as I expected, and the overall shape was unappealing. I would not recommend this variety if you're looking for a showstopper in your garden.
2. John Doe - 1 star - I have had a terrible experience with the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle. The tree arrived in poor condition, with wilted leaves and weak branches. I followed all the planting and care instructions, but it never fully recovered. The blooms were also disappointing, with minimal color and sparse coverage. I reached out to customer service, but they were unhelpful and unresponsive. I would caution others against purchasing this variety.
3. Emily Johnson - 2 stars - The Coral Magic Crape Myrtle did not live up to my expectations. The tree struggled to establish itself and had stunted growth compared to other varieties I have planted in my garden. The blooms were not as vibrant as described, and the foliage had a lackluster appearance. Overall, I was underwhelmed and would not choose this variety again for my landscaping needs.
4. Mike Thompson - 2 stars - I was excited to add the Coral Magic Crape Myrtle to my garden, but it failed to impress me. The tree had a difficult time adapting to the climate and soil conditions, leading to poor growth and limited blooms. The color of the flowers was not as bright as advertised, and the overall aesthetic of the tree was underwhelming. I regret purchasing this variety and would suggest considering other options instead.