Several weeks ago I wrote that the best place to learn about gardening is in your garden. One plant that has become much more popular in the last few years is the crape myrtle. Is it a plant that benefited from our recent mild winters or is its march north going to be successful?

I offer the following observations based on the dozen or more plants that have found their way into my gardens over the last ten years. Most came in the last several.

Within the last several days I am seeing new growth on all but one plant. More about that one later. The ten-year-old specimen that is a large bush approaching six feet in height and width appears to have little or no die back.

Recently I planted several of the dwarfs. They have died back to the ground this winter but they also died back to the ground during the previous mild winter. Otherwise they seem quite happy and produce a small blooming machine late in the summer.

Younger plants of the larger cultivars also have survived with significant die back. Not to the ground but rather significant. They, too, will grow back enough to provide a great late summer show.

Two three-year-old plants near my front door had little damage. They are protected by the house. Their problem is that crape myrtles bloom on accumulated light over the season. In this location, with only morning sun, the bloom appears to be limited by the light.

Back to the one that I am questioning its survival. It was near a long strip of plastic that unfortunately was attached at one end. The other end spent the winter clubbing the plant in question.

In summary, older plants will fair better than younger ones. Plant crape myrtles in full sun or the bloom will suffer. Expect significant die back during an average winter. If you admire the crape myrtle trees of North Carolina and want that look, move there. In nearly 25 years I have yet to lose a plant. They grow rapidly and bloom on new growth so they will at least be a mid-sized shrub when they bloom in the late summer.