I love my Crape Myrtles. They’re beautiful and they grow fairly quickly! Of course, the exact growth rate and the time it takes for these pretty plants to mature varies based on the variety. Still, with the right conditions, you’ll find that a Crape Myrtle can add an accent of color or become a focal point in your yard in what seems like no time.
Crape Myrtles are fast-growing, shooting up as much as 24 inches a year until maturity. Depending on conditions, the largest cultivars may be 30+ feet tall, but how tall yours will get depends on the variety. Most will be in the 15-25 foot range, while miniature varieties may be only 2-3 feet tall.
In this article, I’ll tell you how big you should expect your Crape Myrtle to get and help you decide which type might be the best fit for your yard or garden. I’ll also answer all your questions about their growth rate, life span, and how long it takes these beauties to mature. Finally, I’ll give you some tips to help your Crape Myrtle grow bigger, faster.
How Big Do Crape Myrtles Get?
The mature size for a Crape Myrtle depends on what cultivar it is. There are several categories based on the plant’s mature height, ranging from just a few feet tall to a towering 25+ feet tall. It’s important to know how big a Crape Myrtle will get before you plant it in your yard or garden because there’s a big difference between a two-foot-tall shrub and a massive 30-foot tree.
However, the most common Crape Myrtles are typically 15-25 feet high and have a spread of 6-15 feet across once they reach maturity.
Crape Myrtle Height Table
Variety | Mature Height (Approx.) | Example Cultivars |
Very Dwarf | 1 – 3 feet | Delta Blush, Rosy Carpet, Weeping Alamo Fire |
Dwarf | 3 – 6 feet | Chickasaw, Dwarf Pink Ruffles, Petite Embers, Victor |
Semi-Dwarf | 5 – 12 feet | Burgundy Cotton, Cheyenne, Firebird, Hopi, Pink Lace, Tonto |
Small Tree | 10 – 20 feet | Carolina Beauty, Comanche, Glendora White, New Snow, Seminole, Twilight, Yuma |
Tree | 20+ feet | Arapaho, Biloxi, Carlina Beauty, Dynamite, Miami, Red Rocket, Sarah’s Favorite |
In addition to these common cultivars, there are some hybrid varieties that are known to grow up to 30 feet tall. These include hybrid cultivars such as Muskogee, Natchez, and Fantasy (which can reach as tall as 40 feet in the right conditions).
The larger varieties also have a widespread of 15 to 25 feet in addition to their massive height. As such, it’s important to consider the mature size when selecting your plant and planning its location. You don’t want to try and relocate a mature plant because it’s outgrown its home.
When planting Crape Myrtles, it’s a good idea to leave at least fifteen feet between each one so that it has enough room to grow and flourish without competing for sunlight and soil nutrients. Of course, if you’re looking for a clustered look, you can plant them closer together, especially if you go with very small varieties.
How Fast Do Crape Myrtles Grow?
On average, Crape Myrtles grow around 24 inches per year. Of course, that number may fluctuate based on the variety. A dwarf Crape that only matures to a few feet tall may not reach maturity within a single growing season, but you might expect a large tree to sprout up a couple of feet in one year.
In fact, the 25-30 foot trees might grow three to five feet in a single year, while a small dwarf shrub might only grow four to six inches in a season.
The environmental conditions can also impact Crape Myrtle’s growth rate. These beauties do best in well-drained (but moist) soil and full sunlight. If they don’t get enough water or sunshine, they won’t grow as much as they might otherwise be able to.
When is a Crape Myrtle Considered ‘Mature’?
A Crape Myrtle is considered “mature” when it reaches its full height. The amount of time that it takes depends on the cultivar. On average, it takes five to ten years for a Crape Myrtle to reach maturity.
A dwarf Crape Myrtle will reach its mature height faster than a massive 30-foot tree, so it helps to check your plant’s information tag to find out the expected maximum height and spread before you plant it.
How Long Will a Crape Myrtle Live?
A Crape Myrtle will live for several decades or longer in the right conditions. You can expect Crape Myrtles to live fifty years or more with fertile soil and full sun. In fact, there are many of these trees that are well over 100 years old scattered around the southeastern United States.
That’s another reason why these trees are so popular – they’re easy to grow and adaptable to a variety of conditions. While your Crape Myrtle may not flourish and bloom as well as it might otherwise be able to, it should continue to survive and grow even in lower quality soil or shaded areas.
How to Encourage Faster Growth
Crape Myrtles grow quickly on their own, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t help them out a little. To encourage yours to grow faster, you just need to make sure it’s getting plenty of what mother nature has to offer.
Crape Myrtles need full sunlight. That means six to eight hours of full-on blasting sunshine every day. Don’t assume that you’re planting your Crape in an area that gets plenty of sunlight without checking it out and timing it yourself. If the area is shaded by your house or other nearby trees or structures for a good part of the afternoon, it’s probably not the best spot for your Crape Myrtle.
Ensure that the soil is moist but not overly saturated. Your Crape Myrtle won’t thrive if it has soggy roots. You may need to increase the water to ensure that your plant stays hydrated in the summertime. Give your Crape Myrtle a good, deep soaking about once per week (maybe more if you live somewhere very hot that doesn’t get much rain).
Finally, you can apply some slow-release fertilizer if needed, but don’t go overboard. You don’t want to stunt your blooms by stimulating too much leaf and foliage production. It’s always a good idea to test your soil before you start applying a bunch of fertilizer.
Putting It All Together
Crape Myrtles are delightful additions to any lawn or garden if you do some research and get the right size for your space. They come in a variety of colors, and they bloom for a large chunk of the year, meaning you can enjoy these beauties for far longer than some other flowering shrubs and trees.
Before you purchase a Crape Myrtle and plant it in your yard, it’s important to know what its mature size will be. Otherwise, you may not know if you’re going to end up with a two-foot shrub or a thirty-foot tree. You don’t want to have a larger tree than you planned for and have to cut it back. Crape Myrtles do much better when you let them grow naturally instead of heavy pruning, so always consider the plant’s mature size before purchasing and planting.
Your Crape Myrtle will take anywhere from five to ten years to mature, but the actual growth rate depends on the cultivar that you plant. Most standard Crapes grow one to two feet per year. Many people choose a Crape Myrtle because of its fast-growing characteristics. You can encourage maximum growth by ensuring that your plant has a good location where it will get full sunlight for at least six hours per day. Eight hours of sunlight is even better.
No matter the final size, your Crape Myrtle will delight you with soft, paper-like blooms year after year. As long as they get enough sunlight and water, these low-maintenance plants will continue to grow and perform well with minimal effort on your part.