Dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke'
Lagerstroemia indica 'Pocomoke' · Lythraceae
A true dwarf crape myrtle that forms a dense mound under a metre tall, covered in deep rose-pink, crinkled flowers through the heat of summer.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke'
The planner designed this bed around dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' × 1, pink
- 2 Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' × 8, blue
- 3 Sea thrift × 5, white
- 4 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 6 Star of Persia × 3, purple
- 7 Hyacinth × 10, blue
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, globes, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only pink.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2½ ft it is seen over creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' (5 in) in front of it.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 11 weeks. From mid July to mid September.
- Part of the bed's peak. With wild quinine and brown-eyed Susan in late July: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 4 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Hyacinth comes up between the other plants for colour early in the year. The flowering is at its height from late July, with 3 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The long flowering of a crape myrtle on the scale of a perennial. It needs full sun and heat, and resists the mildew that troubles older kinds.
- Summer colour for hot climates
- The front of a shrub border
- Containers
What to plant with dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Autumn sage: in flower together for 11 weeks, from mid July; spires rising out of its mound.
- Pink muhly grass.
- Daylily 'Stella de Oro': in flower together for 11 weeks, from mid July; low enough (14 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke'
Does dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' need sun or shade?
Dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid July to mid September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 6 | Mid July to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early July to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Early July to mid September |
| Zone 9 | Late June to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (100 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (80 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke'?
Dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' comes from Central Himalaya to S. China and Indo-China, Philippines, Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Shrubby cinquefoil: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early June to mid September, fine leaves, not medium.
- Summersweet 'Hummingbird': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid July to mid August, white, not pink.
- Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; belongs at the back, not in the middle, 12 in taller.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke'?
Dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' is over by mid September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Pink muhly grass: from mid September to early November, 3 ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Montauk daisy: from mid September to late October, 3 ft tall.
What does dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' look like in winter?
Dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' good for bees and butterflies?
Dwarf crape myrtle 'Pocomoke' is visited by pollinators and butterflies.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 2½ ft (80 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid July to mid September; dense clusters; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Lythraceae
- Comes from
- Central Himalaya to S. China and Indo-China, Philippines, Japan
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.