The signature plant for many hot-summer regions, crape myrtle have showy summer flowers, good-looking bark, and brilliant fall color. Long, cool autumns yield the best leaf display. In cool-summer regions, these plants flower less, and mildew is a more serious problem among susceptible varieties. L. indica grows to 25 ft. tall and wide but can kept to a small tree with pruning. Crinkly-petaled, crepelike, 1–11⁄2-in. flowers in white, pink, red and purple form dense clusters in spring and summer. Low water once established.