crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica

Have you ever fallen for those nursery ads in Sunday magazines? I have. How could I resist the new and improved crape myrtle? Guaranteed to grow in your zone or money back! Buy one, get one free! They did grow. But no flowers. Most winters they died back to the ground. It was small consolation that a gardener at Michigan State apparently did the same thing. If you've ever seen the crape myrtle blooming in Charleston, you would fall for it too. What a wonderful plant. Covered with these flowers, and with interesting mottled bark. This south Asian does grow in and has been reported wild from AL, AR, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OH, SC, TN, TX, and VA. Cultivated in Allen Co IN, 9/6/13. Malphighiaceae.