After nearly two months of drought we are finally getting what we have asked for, rain.

Some parts of Adams County have received up to 5 inches of rain in the last 10 days and the extended forecast shows more signs of rainfall in the coming weeks. Even though it can be a nuisance sometimes and spoil plans, these recent rains have a tremendous positive impact on everything from local farming and ranching operations to home vegetable and flower gardens.

Lots of people have asked about incorporating different crape myrtle varieties into the home landscape. Natchez has an abundance of crape myrtles, and I would encourage you to look at planting other plants to compliment the crape myrtle. However, many of you have asked about this so we will try to answer several questions in one answer.

Q: What is the best crape myrtle to plant in a home landscape?

A: When the heat of the summer finally settles in something amazing happens, crape myrtles begin to bloom.

Now is the best time to make sure you get the right bloom color. Other growth characteristics such as bloom length, attractive bark, fall leaf color, flower color, plant size and shape, and disease resistance should all be considered when deciding on which cultivar to buy.

Crape myrtles can be used as accent trees, patio or container plants, shrub border or a street tree. There are cultivars of crape myrtle suited to nearly all landscape situations. There are dwarf cultivars such as “Pocomoke”, which grows to only 3 feet in a very compact form with deep, rose-pink flowers. “Centennial” offers bright purple flowers and is great for mass color, down low in the landscape.

These cultivars are perfect for growing in containers on your deck or patio. The small tree form ranges from 10 to 20 feet tall. One of the best due to its very white, patterned bark and medium lavender flowers is ‘Lipan’. The longest blooming (100 days), dark pink flower is “Tuskegee”. If you’re looking for a 30 foot tree form, “Natchez” is the best.

It blooms for 110 days, has great cinnamon bark color, is very disease resistant and has red\orange fall color. The color lavender is a little trickier. “Apalachee” is light lavender with red leaves in the fall. Two great, dark pink cultivars are “Miami” and “Tuscarora.” If red is the only color that will do, then plant “Dynamite”, “Red Rocket” or “Arapaho”. The deep, violet\purple can only be found in the “Catawba” cultivar. Crape myrtles bloom throughout the summer months when everything else is suffering from the heat. This is what makes it truly a great flower of the South.

Crape myrtles are notorious for getting powdery mildew. The leaves look like baby powder was sprinkled on them. The disease reduces flowering and weakens growing tips. Spray with a fungicide containing the active ingredients of propiconazole, myclobutanil, thiophanate-methyl or triforine every week as needed for control.

Insect populations are higher during the summer. Sucking or piercing type insects (aphids, leaf hoppers) normally reside on the underside of leaves or on the new growing tips.

If the tree seems to be spitting at you when you walk under it, then feeding insects are the culprits. This sugary liquid is called honeydew and is host to the dreaded sooty mold fungus. Since most insecticides are contact killers, it’s very important to spray where the insects are located. Spray with insecticides such as malathion, permethrin or insecticidal soap.

David Carter is the director of the Adams County Extension Service. He can be reached at 601-445-8201.