Color is Our Passion!

.....BUT.....Color is Also SUBJECTIVE

You may ask yourself "why is color subjective?" These days every color has a corresponding combination of letters and numbers to describe its exact hue and shade. This is 100% true and is intended to prevent any mix ups or mistakes, right?

Let's take "watermelon red" for example. Do you think of a bright, hot pink, or perhaps a dark magenta? Or is it a shade of fuchsia? What's the difference? Not to mention it depends on the watermelon you have in mind! How much purple undertone does it have? Is it more on the cherry or wine-red spectrum? These are all questions we've asked ourselves when describing colors.

To complicate things further, we have studied the appearance of color on different devices. As you can see from the images below, the EXACT SAME color and webpage are displayed on different devices. The color code is the same, the information loaded is the same, but the devices display the color in extremely different ways!

We have painstakingly taken the time to describe each color and characteristic of over 90+ types of crape myrtles we offer. And through our exhaustive best efforts, we sincerely believe you will have all the information you'll need to make an informed decision regarding the flower color of your new plants.

As you can see, all Pictures of Blue Amethyst™ are dark purple, but they vary appearance simple due to on what device you're viewing them!

Thus, we try our very best in the product descriptions to illustrate each color, undertone and hue.

What Does this mean for You, Our Customers?

It simply means that the plant you order may not be exactly 100% the color you see on your screen.

But this isn't a bad thing!

In fact, we've found most devices make the colors look washed out and faded, so when the plants flower, they are much brighter and richer than expected.

Also, some varieties go through color changes as the flower ages.

For example, the varieties above, including Dallas Red and Ruby Bijou™ will often bloom white and turn bright, cherry red as they age.

Cotton Candy Passion™ and Blue Amethyst™ occasionally have the unique ability to become lighter OR darker as they age!

While Bi Color and Rosy Jewel Passion™ keep their two-toned look throughout their blooming season, making them extremely unique as well.

And of course, external factors that can Affect Color

• Stress. If you planted your crape myrtles while they were in an active state of growth, that could cause extra stress on the plant. They're simply not going to perform their best if they're stressed out.
• Soil pH. Crape myrtles do best in slightly acidic soil, 5.5-6.5pH. An alkaline soil will cause flowers to look faded and washed out. An extremely acidic soil will cause the same issue, if they even flower at all.
• Contaminates such as herbicide. Crape Myrtles are not immune to herbicides, even if the herbicide says they are. This can cause a number of mutations ranging from misshapen leaves, wart-like growths and odd flower development and color.
• Environmental factors. An excessively cold winter can darken flowers in summer!

There are far too many factors to list here.

Main Take Aways

• We do not substitute. This is why we actually run out of plants. What you ordered is what you will receive. If for some reason our inventory is off and we do not have enough of a variety to fill your order, we will contact you directly to make the appropriate arrangements.
• Please be patient with your plants. Being packed and shipped all over the country is stressful. Give them time, a little care and they'll reward you for years to come.
• Many Factors We Cannot Control May Affect Color. Once plants leave our nursery, we cannot control their care, environment or Mother Nature. Again, please be patient with your new plants.

Please see our FAQ page for more helpful information.