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
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The the plant arrived in great shape after almost a full week in transit. I couldn’t believe it but the soil was still wet and there was very very little breakage on any stems. I bought the five gallon plant because I wanted a good head start. I took Extra, Extra Care in preparing the hole for the plant during the week I was waiting for it to arrive. I went online where there was a suggestion that I first dig a hole three times the size of the pot and replace the original soil end of the whole mixed with a good grade compost. So then when the plant arrived I dug the hole per instructions, twice the size of the container. I was very careful to not let the root ball be lower than the original ground surface. I have followed every instructions exactly and the plant seems to be happy and thriving. It has only been about three weeks at most. We live in a borderline climate zone where the poor thing may not survive the first winter. But researching online I think there is a good chance if I winterize the plant in the right way it will come back next year. I am very excited at the prospect of having a crepe myrtle in front of our house. I had lots of them when I lived in Texas and I miss them.——————————————-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
So far so good. Plant arrived in good condition and was planted right away. Still green after 1x month; no new growth or flower buds yet. Highly recommend.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG
Beautiful plant, packed beautifully, plant is thriving, came in timely manner, love it!——————————We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG





















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