Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ Crape Myrtle Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on November 17, 2022

Planting instructions

Find a growing location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight per day and has well-draining soils with a decent amount of organic nutrients. Then, to plant your Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree, dig a hole that is as deep as the root ball is tall and about twice as wide. Water the roots while you backfill the hole and complete the job by covering the area with a layer of organic mulch, which will help maintain adequate soil moisture.

Watering and nutrients

Just after planting your Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree, you should water it multiple times per week during the first growing season. Following the first growing season, you can reduce your watering schedule to about once per week, increasing that rate as needed during hotter weather. To feed this tree, apply a balanced fertilizer once per year during the early spring. For the best results, the fertilizer you use should have equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Pollination

As is true of crape myrtles in general, the Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree is a self-fertile plant, meaning that a single tree is capable of pollinating itself successfully without the need for an additional tree. The Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree should have a long bloom period during which many insects, including bees, will arrive to transfer pollen from the male flower structures to the female ones. However, the resultant fruits are neither attractive nor commonly eaten.

Pruning

Pruning for the Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree should take place in late winter and should include both functional and aesthetic goals. Firstly, you should be sure to preserve this plant’s health by removing any part that is dead, damaged, or diseased. It is also beneficial to encourage a graceful growth habit by maintaining only a few main trunks and removing many of the lowest lateral branches. You can also expect suckers to appear at the base of this tree, which you should remove.

Pests, diseases, and animals

Overall, crape myrtles, including the Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree, have relatively few problems with pests and diseases throughout their lives. However, that does not mean that an infestation or infection is impossible. Instead, common garden insects like aphids and Japanese beetles can harm your Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree at times. Additionally, infections such as powdery mildew and mold can also arise in this plant. Despite that, proper maintenance should prevent most of these complications.

Achieving maximum results

The Black Diamond® Lavender Lace™ crape myrtle tree presents you with an opportunity to create a brilliant point of contrast in your garden. As such, it is wisest to take care when choosing a planting location for this tree to ensure that it pairs well with the plants around it, thus maximizing its visual effect. It is also helpful to know that this plant has decent drought tolerance, especially when mature, meaning that it could be a great option for areas where other plants have struggled to get enough moisture from the soil.

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