Speaking as a “plantaholic” who likes just about all things with foliage, fronds or needles, one plant I started to salivate over in the 1990s was crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.). For us in northern ...

Also known as "Lilac of the South" due to its popularity in zones 7 to 9, crape myrtle is a deciduous shrub or small tree that explodes with white, deep rose, or magenta blossoms from July to ...

Left, the winged seeds of crape myrtle; and right, an American goldfinch feeding on crape myrtle seed. (Image courtesy Gary Graves) Each year from summer into fall, ornamental crape myrtle trees in ...