Crape Myrtles come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from tall broad trees that dominate a yard to low lying shrubs that are even used as ground cover. If you are looking for a type of cultivar to grow as a centerpiece of your lawn or garden, consider choosing of the top 10 largest varieties of crape myrtles.
Arapaho
Arapaho is an interesting choice of large crape myrtles with its bright red cluster of summer flowers and formal, upright habit. The Arapho crape myrtle will grow in excess of twenty feet in height with out spreading its branches out very far horizontally.
Basham’s Party Pink
For a tall crape myrtle that really will expand to fill out an area, you might consider looking in Basham’s Party Pink. The small flowers of light lavender are a delight during the summer, and this cultivar has the exfoliating bark that is so attractive on some crape myrtles.
Biloxi
If you are looking for a towering cultivar of this plant, look no further that Biloxi crape myrtles. Regularly growing higher than thirty feet, this is one of the tallest crape myrtles available. Despite the formal, upright habit of the branches on this tree, the salmon pink flowers have the sporadic clusters of a wilder plant.
Carolina Beauty
Carolina beauty is a great choice for a gardener who is looking for a strong, large crape myrtle to grow for showy flowers during the summer. The bright red bunches of brilliant summer flowers is what earned Carolina beauty crape myrtles their name. Grows to around twenty feet in height.
Dallas red is another good crape myrtle if you are looking for a strong presence of sharply colored flowers. Dallas reds grow twenty feet or higher and have smooth bark and large clusters of deep pink flowers.
Dynamite
As the name suggests, the flowers on dynamite crape myrtles are explosive. The fierce red clusters of this large crape myrtle ground in round bunches that last throughout the late summer. Dynamite crape myrtles grow from 20-25 feet tall.
Glendora White
Glendora white is one of only two variety of crape myrtle that I know of that regularly grows much higher than twenty feet and has white flowers. Although the white flowers are gorgeous during the summer months, this cultivar is a little more susceptible to mildew problems than some of its brethren.
Muskogee
Muskogeee grows very broad and can fill up a fairly wide area. During the fall, the tree has red and orange coloring, while the sparse flowers during the summer are that of a pleasant light lavender. This tree can easily grow in excess of 25′.
Natchez
Natchez is the second tall crape myrtle that has pure white flowers. Unlike Glendora whites, Natchez crape myrtles have attractive exfoliating bark and is very resistant to mildew. This tree grows from 20-30′ tall.
Tuscarora
For a dynamic year round crape myrtle all year round, you can’t go wrong with a Tuscarora crape myrtle. The tree grows 20-25 feet tall, a broad but controlled habit, showy summer flowers and excellent peeling bark along its trunk.
Queen Crape Myrtle is a separate species onto itself, also known as Giant Crape Myrtle or Lagerstroemia speciosa. Although Queen crape myrtle can grow to an impressive 60 feet or taller in height, it can only survive in select regions of the United States, including Hawaii and the southernmost regions of Texas, California and Florida.
