Lagerstroemia indica ‘Muskogee’ (Crape Myrtle)

Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’ (Crape Myrtle) – Tall Lavender Blooms and Beautiful Exfoliating Bark

Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’, commonly called Muskogee crape myrtle or Muskogee crepe myrtle, is a vigorous deciduous flowering tree valued for its billowing light lavender flower clusters, broad upright crown, attractive exfoliating bark, and commanding summer presence. One of the best-known tall crape myrtles, it creates a luminous canopy after many spring-flowering trees have finished blooming.

This is not a compact cultivar for a narrow bed. ‘Muskogee’ commonly grows about 20 to 30 ft. tall and 12 to 20 ft. wide (6-9 m by 3.6-6 m), with older trees in favorable southern climates sometimes becoming larger. Its scale makes it best suited to lawns, spacious borders, avenues, open plazas, and large residential, institutional, or commercial landscapes.

The flowers are light lavender to pale lavender-pink rather than dark purple. They appear in abundant terminal panicles from midsummer through late summer and may continue into early fall in warm climates. Dark green foliage may develop orange to reddish tones in autumn before falling to reveal smooth gray-brown bark and an elegant multi-trunked framework.

Quick Facts – Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’

Summary: Large, vigorous lavender-flowering crape myrtle with a broad upright habit, long summer bloom, ornamental bark, and excellent powdery mildew resistance.
Use: Outstanding as a specimen tree, lawn tree, avenue tree, flowering screen, street tree, or large landscape accent.
Highlight: Airy masses of pale lavender flowers create a cooler, softer effect than strongly pink or dark purple cultivars.
Note: Give this tall crape myrtle sufficient overhead and lateral space. Repeated hard pruning cannot turn it into a naturally compact tree.

Botanical Name	Lagerstroemia ×egolfii ‘Muskogee’; often listed as Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’ or Lagerstroemia indica ‘Muskogee’
Family	Lythraceae
Common Names	Muskogee crape myrtle, Muskogee crepe myrtle, hybrid crape myrtle
Origin	Interspecific hybrid introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum in 1978
Plant Type and Habit	Deciduous large shrub or medium-sized tree; vigorous, broad upright, spreading, and naturally multi-stemmed
Hardiness (USDA)	Zones 7 to 9; winter injury may limit size or flowering near the cold edge of its range
Size	Commonly 20-30 ft. tall and 12-20 ft. wide (6-9 m by 3.6-6 m); potentially larger with age in favorable southern climates
Sun and Exposure	Full sun; at least 6 hours of direct sun, with 8 or more hours ideal
Soil	Average, moderately fertile, well-drained clay, loam, or sandy soil; adaptable to acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline conditions
Bloom Time	Midsummer through late summer, often extending into early fall in warm climates
Flower Color	Light lavender, pale lavender-pink, or soft lilac
Foliage and Fall Color	Dark green summer foliage that may turn orange to reddish in fall
Disease Resistance	Excellent resistance to powdery mildew
Wildlife Value	Flowers may be visited by bees and other insects; best regarded as a supplemental floral resource
Deer Resistance	Generally deer resistant, although young shoots may occasionally be browsed

Care – Quick

• Planting: Select a spacious, sunny site away from low utility lines and cramped foundations.
• Water: Irrigate deeply during establishment; mature trees tolerate moderate drought.
• Feeding: Use compost or a modest spring fertilizer only where growth or soil fertility is poor.
• Pruning: Prune selectively in late winter or early spring; never top the crown.
• Mulching: Apply 2-3 in. of organic mulch over the root zone without covering the trunk flare.
• Best use: Allow the tree to mature as a tall flowering focal point with a naturally broad canopy.

What Is Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’?

Description and Hybrid Origin

‘Muskogee’ is one of the landmark hybrid crape myrtles developed through the U.S. National Arboretum breeding program led by Donald Egolf. Released in 1978, it incorporates Japanese crape myrtle ancestry, which contributed excellent powdery mildew resistance, attractive bark, and improved hardiness compared with many traditional Lagerstroemia indica selections. The U.S. National Arboretum recognizes it as Lagerstroemia ×egolfii ‘Muskogee’.

Older books, plant labels, and nursery catalogs frequently use Lagerstroemia indica ‘Muskogee’. That name remains useful for search and commerce, but it does not fully describe the cultivar’s interspecific parentage. For horticultural accuracy, Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’ is the clearest broadly understood name.

Growth Habit and Mature Size

‘Muskogee’ develops long ascending branches that form a broad, high crown. It is commonly grown as a multi-trunked tree, although young plants can be trained to a single main trunk. Its mature scale is substantially larger than that of ‘Catawba‘, ‘Sioux’, ‘Tonto‘, or modern dwarf selections.

Size varies with climate, soil, pruning history, and age. A practical landscape expectation is 20-30 ft. tall and 12-20 ft. wide, although long-established trees in the Deep South may exceed those dimensions. Provide generous clearance from roofs, wires, paths, and neighboring trees rather than relying on pruning to restrain the canopy.

Flowers and Bloom Season

The large terminal panicles are filled with crinkled pale lavender-pink flowers. Their soft coloring gives the canopy a luminous quality, especially in bright midday light. The shade is noticeably lighter than the violet-purple of ‘Catawba’ and should not be marketed as dark purple.

Bloom generally begins in midsummer and continues through late summer, often reaching early fall in warm regions. Heat, direct sun, new growth, and adequate moisture during establishment all influence flowering. Deadheading is unnecessary on an established tree and becomes impractical once the canopy matures.

Foliage, Fall Color, and Bark

Dark green leaves provide an effective background for the pale flowers. Fall color varies with site and weather but may include orange, red, and reddish-orange tones. Round seed capsules can remain after bloom and provide fine winter detail.

The smooth exfoliating bark is typically light gray to gray-brown, sometimes marked with warmer tan patches. It is generally less cinnamon-colored than the bark of ‘Natchez‘, but it becomes increasingly attractive as the trunks age. Light pruning preserves this winter structure far better than severe annual cutting.

Hardiness and Climate

‘Muskogee’ performs best in USDA Zones 7 to 9 and thrives where summers are long and hot. In colder Zone 7 locations, winter damage may shorten stems, delay bloom, or keep the tree smaller. A sunny, protected site and a properly mulched root zone can improve performance, but mature size and flowering duration will vary by region.

Uses in the Landscape

• Large specimen tree: Give the canopy room to become the centerpiece of a lawn or expansive border.
• Avenue or allée: Repeat trees at generous intervals for a dramatic lavender-flowered summer corridor.
• Flowering screen: Use several trees for high seasonal screening where winter deciduousness is acceptable.
• Street tree: Suitable where planting strips offer adequate soil volume, overhead wires are absent, and flower, seed, or honeydew litter will not create problems.
• Open plaza or institutional courtyard: Use only where roots, canopy, mature height, and seasonal litter can be accommodated.
• Commercial landscape: Effective in campus, hospitality, municipal, and parking-area plantings with adequate rooting space.
• Mixed tree border: Combine with evergreen backdrops and lower plants that will not compete with the canopy.

Wildlife and Pollinator Value

The flowers may receive visits from bees and other insects, but ‘Muskogee’ is best treated as a supplemental floral resource rather than a substitute for high-value native plants. Combine it with native grasses and long-blooming perennials to provide a wider range of food and habitat.

Deer and Browsing Animals

Crape myrtles are generally considered deer-resistant plants. Established trees are rarely preferred browse, although deer may sample young shoots or rub against trunks. Protect newly planted specimens where deer pressure is intense.

Drought and Heat Tolerance

Once established, ‘Muskogee’ tolerates heat and moderate drought. Newly planted trees still need deep, regular irrigation while roots expand into surrounding soil. Mature specimens perform better when watered during prolonged drought, but consistently wet or poorly drained ground should be avoided.

Toxicity

Crape myrtle is not commonly regarded as toxic to people, cats, dogs, or horses. Nevertheless, ornamental plant material should not be intentionally eaten, and any concerning ingestion should be discussed with an appropriate medical or veterinary professional.

Invasiveness

‘Muskogee’ is not an aggressive, spreading tree. Crape myrtles can occasionally produce seedlings, and related Lagerstroemia indica material has naturalized in parts of the southeastern United States. Remove unwanted seedlings near natural areas and follow current regional invasive-plant guidance.

Growing Conditions for Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’

Light

Full sun is strongly recommended. Provide at least six hours of direct light daily; eight or more hours generally produce the heaviest flowering, densest canopy, and lowest disease pressure. Shade encourages fewer flowers, thinner growth, and branches that lean toward available light.

Soil

‘Muskogee’ adapts to clay, loam, and sandy soil as long as drainage is adequate. It grows in acidic, neutral, and mildly alkaline conditions, although slightly acidic soil is often ideal. Avoid planting the root ball too deeply or creating a narrow pocket of heavily amended soil that discourages roots from expanding outward.

Water

Water deeply after planting and maintain even moisture during establishment. Once established, irrigate during extended dry periods rather than watering shallowly every day. Do not allow lawn irrigation or piled mulch to keep the trunk flare constantly wet.

Feeding

Excess nitrogen encourages leafy growth, basal shoots, and aphid activity while potentially reducing flowers. Base fertilizer use on plant performance or a soil test. In reasonably fertile soil, compost or a modest slow-release spring feeding is usually sufficient.

Planting, Maintenance, and Propagation

Planting Tips

Plant in spring or fall with the root flare visible at or slightly above grade. Dig the hole wider than the root ball but no deeper, backfill with the existing soil, water thoroughly, and mulch over a broad area. Keep mulch several inches away from the trunks and allow for the tree’s eventual 12-20 ft. canopy spread.

Maintenance and Pruning

Crape myrtles bloom on new wood, so structural pruning is best performed in late winter or early spring before growth begins. Remove dead, damaged, crossing, rubbing, or inward-growing branches. Eliminate unwanted suckers and gradually raise the canopy where clearance is needed while preserving the major framework.

Never top ‘Muskogee’ to force it into a small space. Severe annual cutting creates dense clusters of weak shoots, destroys the natural crown, hides developing bark, and commits the owner to repeated corrective work. If the tree is too large for its location, replacement with a smaller cultivar is a better long-term solution.

Propagation

Propagate ‘Muskogee’ vegetatively from cuttings to preserve its flower color, habit, bark, and disease resistance. Seedlings will not reliably reproduce the cultivar and may differ substantially in size, bloom color, and performance.

Problems and Pests

‘Muskogee’ has excellent resistance to powdery mildew, but it is not entirely problem-free. Aphids can be particularly troublesome on this cultivar, and their honeydew may lead to conspicuous sooty mold. Good siting, moderate fertilizer, and periodic inspection are more useful than routine pesticide applications.

• Aphids: Colonies feed on young growth and excrete sticky honeydew. Clemson specifically notes that aphids can favor ‘Muskogee’.
• Sooty mold: Black fungal growth develops on honeydew from aphids or scale. Control the sap-feeding insect rather than treating the coating alone.
• Crapemyrtle bark scale: White or gray felted insects may cluster on branches and trunks, producing abundant honeydew and dark sooty mold.
• Cercospora leaf spot: Dark lesions and premature leaf drop may occur in warm, humid climates. Collect fallen leaves and avoid unnecessary overhead watering.
• Powdery mildew: Excellent resistance greatly reduces risk, but shade, crowding, or severe disease pressure can still allow symptoms.
• Winter injury: Cold exposure near the northern hardiness limit may damage stems and reduce the following season’s display.

Design Ideas and Companion Plants with Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’

These companions share the tree’s preference for full sun and well-drained soil and tolerate summer heat after establishment. Plant them beyond the immediate trunk zone and account for increasing canopy shade as ‘Muskogee’ matures. Check local heat tolerance in the warmest parts of Zone 9.

• Lavender and pink haze: Muhlenbergia capillaris – airy pink fall plumes echo the tree’s cloudlike flowers and thrive in hot, sunny, well-drained sites.
• Strong vertical rhythm: Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ – upright blue-green foliage balances the broad canopy and remains attractive into winter. For warmer red foliage, Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ is an effective alternative.
• Golden summer contrast: Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ – golden daisies create a vivid complementary contrast beneath the pale lavender flowers.
• Silver-blue softness: Salvia yangii ‘Blue Spire’, formerly sold as Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’, adds silver stems and blue flowers while tolerating heat and dry soil.
• Long-blooming native layer: Echinacea purpurea – sturdy coneflowers add summer color and stronger pollinator value in sunny, moderately dry borders.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

U.S. National Arboretum – Plant Introductions: Lagerstroemia ×egolfii ‘Muskogee’: https://www.usna.usda.gov/science/plant-introductions-and-releases/plant-intros-common1/

USDA Agricultural Research Service – U.S. National Arboretum Crape Myrtle Breeding: https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=147446

Clemson Cooperative Extension – Crape Myrtle Cultivars and ‘Muskogee’ Characteristics: https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/crape-myrtle/

Clemson Cooperative Extension – Crape Myrtle Diseases and Insect Pests: https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/crape-myrtle-diseases-insect-pests/

University of Florida IFAS Extension – Crapemyrtle Pruning: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP399

Missouri Botanical Garden – ‘Muskogee’ Crape Myrtle: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=265240

Updated: July 2026 • Reviewed by Gardenia Editors