How Tall Do Crape Myrtles Grow?

The Crape Myrtle is a summer plant that is excellent for providing shade during hot weather. This plant thrives during the summer and blooms beautiful pink flowers. People frequently planted Crape Myrtle in their gardens to block out sunlight and enhance the aesthetic appeal of their landscape.

However, the Crape Myrtle is not ideal in every situation for gardeners. First, gardeners need to ensure that they have enough space to grow Cape Myrtles, and they need to know how tall they grow. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about how tall Crape Myrtles grow so you can determine if they are right for your landscape.

How Tall Do Crape Myrtles Grow? 

Crape Myrtle plants can grow to be 25 feet tall once they mature. However, this plant is not intended for indoor growth and is better suited for landscaping.

How Fast Do Crape Myrtles Grow?

Once your Crape Myrtle plant reaches full maturity, it’ll be between 25 and 30 feet tall. We list the average growth rates for a Crape Myrtle plant below.

Per year: Crape Myrtles will grow about 42 inches until fully mature.

Per month: Crape Myrtles will grow about 4 inches until fully mature.

Per week: Crape Myrtles will grow about one inch until fully mature.

It’ll take seven to ten years for your Crape Myrtle to reach full maturity and stop growing. The rate your Crape Myrtle matures will vary depending on the care that you provide for it. The guidelines above are just average growth rates that apply to most growing conditions.

What’s the Average Height of a Crape Myrtles?

What’s the Average Height of a Crape Myrtles

The average height of a fully mature Crape Myrtle plant is 25 feet tall. However, this height will vary depending on your care for your Crape Myrtle plant as it grows. These averages can also adjust depending on which variety of crape Myrtle plant you grow.

What is the Tallest Type of Crape Myrtles?

The tallest variety of Crape Myrtle plants is the white-flowered Kiowa. These Crape Myrtles can get up to 33 feet tall under the right conditions.

What is the Smallest Type of Crape Myrtles?

The Violet Filli is a dwarf variety of Crape Myrtle plants that will only grow to be a maximum of 18 inches. There are other varieties of dwarf Crape Myrtles, and all dwarf varieties will grow under 4 feet tall.

How Wide Do Crape Myrtles Grow?

The top of a Crape Myrtle tree can get up to 15 feet when fully mature. This spread depends on the type of crape Myrtle plant you get.

How Long Does a Crape Myrtles Seed Take to Sprout?

It will take a Crape Myrtle seed less than three weeks to sprout in optimal conditions. If your seed takes longer than three weeks to sprout, then you should throw it away and try a different seed. Crape Myrtle seeds sprout faster when wrapped in a moist paper towel.

What’s the Average Lifespan of a Crape Myrtles?

Crape Myrtle seeds usually live to be 50 years old on average. However, some species of Crape Myrtles grow to be 100 years old under proper conditions. Compared to other types of trees, Crape Myrtles do not live that long.

Does the Soil Affect the Crape Myrtles Growth?

The soil you grow your crape Myrtle plant in plays a massive role and how well the plant will grow. If soil conditions are not ideal, then your plant will not grow much and could die much sooner than it would otherwise. The following are optimal soil conditions you should grow your Crape Myrtle in.

  • Crape Myrtles need plenty of water to grow properly. Therefore, your soil should be moist but have plenty of drainage points. Too much moisture in your soil will cause root rot, and insufficient water in your soil will cause your Crape Myrtle to wilt.
  • Ensure that your Crape Myrtle soil has plenty of nutrients to keep your plant well-fed. The more nutrients you provide your Crape Myrtle, the taller it will grow.
  • Keep your soil’s pH levels around six. Your soil should be slightly acidic if you want your Crape Myrtle to grow taller.

Multiple factors play a role in how your Crape Myrtle plant will grow. However, the soil is one of the biggest contributors to your Crape Myrtle’s growth.

What’s the Tallest Crape Myrtles Ever Recorded?

The tallest Crape Myrtle tree ever recorded is in China, which stands at 111.5 feet tall. This size is four times the height of an average Crape Myrtle tree. This Crape Myrtle tree is also the oldest in the world and is 1380 years old.

How to Make Your Crape Myrtles Grow Taller?

How to Make Your Crape Myrtles Grow Taller

Under the right conditions, you can get an average Crape Myrtle tree to grow up to 30 feet tall. Follow the guidelines below to grow your crape Myrtle tree taller.

  • Grow your Crape Myrtle tree in full sunlight. Crape Myrtles need at least six hours of unfiltered sunlight to grow. The more sunlight you provide your Crape Myrtle plant, the taller it will grow.
  • Provide plenty of water to your Crape Myrtle tree. Your Crape Myrtle soil should always be moist but have plenty of drainage points.
  • Ensure that the soil you grow your Crape Myrtle in is slightly acidic.
  • Crape myrtles in warm temperatures because they’re a summer plant.

Following the guidelines above, you can expect your Crape Myrtle tree to grow taller. Conversely, neglecting any of the above growth conditions could cause your tree’s growth to stunt.

Can You Keep a Crape Myrtles Small?

The best way to keep your Crape Myrtle trees small is to choose a dwarf variety. Dwarf Crape Myrtles will not grow any taller than four feet tall. Some dwarf Crape Myrtle trees will only grow one foot tall. If you choose a standard Crape Myrtle variety, it will grow to be about 25 feet tall no matter what conditions you grow it in.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of varieties of Crape Myrtle trees to choose from. If you want a taller variety, pick a standard Crape Myrtle tree. However, there are also dwarf Crape Myrtle trees that will only grow to be 4 feet tall. This situation means there are plenty of options for gardeners who either have plenty of space to grow crape Myrtle trees or a shortage of space to grow them.

More often than not, your crape Myrtle tree will grow 25 feet tall. However, the average Crape Myrtle tree will not grow much taller than 30 feet, even though the largest tree in the world is 111 feet tall.

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