Crape Myrtle is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 9 and shrugs off deer. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Crape Myrtle — the short answer
Crape Myrtle: grown in zones 6–9, full sun, pH 4.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 6–9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.5–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 30.2°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Crape Myrtle on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether crape myrtle actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score crape myrtle against your land's real conditions.
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See Crape Myrtle
What Crape Myrtle is
Crape Myrtle grows as a perennial and reaches around 20 feet at maturity. It blooms purple in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Crape Myrtle
Crape Myrtle grows in USDA zones 6 through 9. Crape Myrtle does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 210 frost-free days and about 400 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
6-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
30.2°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
42.8°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
20 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
400+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
210+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set crape myrtle in full sun with well-drained soil. Many fruit trees need a second variety nearby to pollinate — check before you plant just one.
Match the soil
Crape Myrtle prefers pH 4.5 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Be patient, then harvest
Prune annually while the tree establishes; fruit trees reward patience with years of harvest. Local Extension guides publish per-cultivar bearing-age tables.
Where Crape Myrtle thrives
Crape Myrtle is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 6–9 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 14 outright and splits 34 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–9·Where Crape Myrtle growsOpen map →
Where Crape Myrtle stands, state by state
Crape Myrtle is rated for zones 6–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 14 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 34 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–9
14 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 14 shown
The line runs through
34 states
3 of 34 shown
Crape Myrtle’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 6–9
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Crape Myrtle
Growing guides for crape myrtle
In rotation planning, crape myrtle counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — crape myrtle isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Crape Myrtle offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Your land is one point inside Crape Myrtle's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Crape Myrtle will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether crape myrtle actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Crape Myrtle
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Crape Myrtle in my zone?
Crape Myrtle grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Crape Myrtle?
Set crape myrtle out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Crape Myrtle need?
Crape Myrtle needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Crape Myrtle need?
Crape Myrtle prefers soil pH 4.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Crape Myrtle attract pollinators?
Yes — crape myrtle's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Crape Myrtle safe for pets?
Crape Myrtle is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)