Tonto Red Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei ‘Tonto’
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-9b Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Tree, Fauriei Hybrid
Height at Maturity: 10-12′
Width at Maturity: 6-8′
Spacing: 5-6′ apart for solid hedge; 14’+ apart for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Broad Canopy, Rounded Canopy, Weeping Branches
Growth Rate: Moderate, Fast
Flower Color: Watermelon Red
Flowering Period: Mid-Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Flower Type: Single flowers in large rounded to elongated clusters
Fragrant Flowers: No
Foliage Color: Dark Green
Fall Foliage Color: Reddish Purple
Fall Foliage Color: Reddish Purple
Fragrant Foliage: No
Bark Color: Grey
Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun
Water Needs: Average, low when established
Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sand, Silt
Soil Drainage: Well Drained
Soil pH: 5.0 – 6.5
Maintenance / Care: Low
Attracts: Visual Attention
Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Moderate Drought, Heat
Description
When it comes to flowering trees, there’s simply no others more showy than Crape Myrtles. They bloom for up to 100 days during summer, when there are few other trees and shrubs providing that service in the landscape. Colorful fall foliage and attractive exfoliating bark in winter enhance their overall appeal. It’s no wonder they are so wildly popular among designers and gardeners!
Tonto Crape Myrtle is a year-round color factory producing an abundance of striking, 6 to 7 inch clusters of watermelon-red (bright magenta) flowers on a globe-shaped canopy for up to 120 days during summer. Features dark green foliage turning deep red to reddish purple in fall and attractive beige bark which exfoliates with age.
No more problems with powdery mildew! Because Tonto is a ‘Fauriei Hybrid’, it is totally resistant to powdery mildew; an unsightly disease which shows up during summer as a white powdery substance that covers the leaves on many other types of crape myrtle.
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing to 10 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet or so wide, the Tonto Crape Myrtle is ideal for use as a specimen, in groupings, as a hedge. Its medium size lends well to smaller garden spaces and pots, planters and other containers. It can be grown as a shrub or lower branches can be removed to form a very attractive small tree that serves well as a focal point specimen in landscape borders or home foundation plantings. Whether planted as a specimen or in groupings, this is one crape myrtle that packs a punch of color in the landscape. A fine addition to red theme gardens.
Suggested Spacing: 5 to 6 feet apart for solid hedge; 14 feet or more apart for space between plants
Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a, where this Crape Myrtle variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
Tonto Crape Myrtle is very easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained soil of average fertility and full to mostly sun. Light shade is tolerated but flowering will be diminished in more shade. Has shown excellent resistance to powdery mildew and is quite drought tolerant when established. No pruning necessary however lowe branches can be removed to form a highly attractive small tree.
Helpful Articles
Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Crape Myrtle trees.
How To Plant A Crape Myrtle In The Ground Or In A Pot
How To Prune a Crape Myrtle Tree the Right Way
How To Fertilize & Water A Crape Myrtle
How To Prune a Dwarf Crape Myrtle
Choosing the Right Crape Myrtle
Plant Long & Prosper!
Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff
Questions? Contact Us!
Love the trees. They arrived in great condition l have purchased several plants from your company and all have arrived in great condition. Very satisfied with your nursery.————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My crepe myrtle arrived yesterday n perfect condition. Leafless as expected but bigger than I expected. Thank u for sending this beauty.———————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
I bought this for my wife for Mothers Day. She loves it! She can’t wait for the tree to start blooming. Perfect tree and excellent service.—————————————WBG Reply: Hi Leon, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Tonto Rd Crape Myrtle. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
I received my two Tonto Crape Myrtles quickly. They were already sprouting some spring growth and it was slightly yellowed during transit, which you would expect. But within a day or two of planting they started sending out new growth and just two weeks later they are very robust. I can’t wait to see bloom on them. I am very happy with this purchase from Wilson Bros Gardens!——————————–WBG Reply: Hi Karen, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Tonto Red Crape Myrtle. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens
Our 3 Tonto Crape Myrtles arrived, carefully packed, and were planted just a couple of weeks ago. To our delight, they are already covered with leaves! They look like they’ve been in the ground for months. We couldn’t be more pleased with them and can hardly wait to enjoy the flowers, as well. A huge “thank you” to all to you at Wilson Brothers Gardens.—————————-WBG Reply: Hi Bonnie, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Tonto Red Crape Myrtle. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens-
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens-
Product arrived as ordered. I planted it according to the instructions. Hopefully it will do well and grow nicely in the spot selected. Now awaiting blooms and growth. —————– WBG Reply: Hi Ron – Thanks so much for your review of the Tonto Red Crape Myrtle and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! You should see some blooms in a month or so:-) Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
I ordered 3 of the Tonto Crape Myrtles for my back yard. They arrived in very good condition, with no blooms. I planted them as instructed and they are thriving. They have exploded with growth and blooms. I wish I could leave a picture. They are the exact height I needed for a small yard with connected neighbor fences. I couldn’t find them at any of the local nurseries. Awesome. ——— WBG Reply: Hi Emily – Thanks so much for the compliments and taking the time to provide a review. Tonto has always been one of our favorites of the mildew-resistant Fauriei Hybrid crape myrtles so we always try to keep some growing and available. It has pretty much everything we look for in a great crape myrtle: attractive deep green foliage with nice fall color and loads of blooms…not too mention it’s intermediate size that fits well into smaller garden spaces and containers. Hope you enjoy it for years to come. Plant long and prosper! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens
The tree I received was in great shape. The tree was larger than anticipated. I am very pleased with my purchase. Would highly recommend Wilson Bros to others. The customer service was excellent as well. ———– WBG Reply: Hi Kelly – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide us and future visitors to Wilson Bros Gardens with your review. Glad to hear you were pleased with the size and quality of the Tonto Crape Myrtle tree. Maybe you’ll get to see some of the beautiful flowers this summer! Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent Wilson | Wilson Bros Gardens





















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