Despite being native to China and Korea, the Crape Myrtle is the official shrub of Texas.
You can hardly walk down a street in this area without seeing one in someone's yard or in a municipal planting. They come in a range of colors and sizes and, when in full bloom during the hot summer months, are a visual force to be reckoned with.
Once established, these trees can handle drought and heat waves with grace. In fact, you can easily over water them. They are not a plant without problems; However, problems that can be mitigated with some basic care. Second, you need to mulch around the trunk so you don't get your lawn mower or weed eater anywhere near it. Many of these shrubs get killed by damage to their trunk.Never top the shrub but thin select branches to make sure it matures with a good balance of main trunks .