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Last winter was hard for these plants here. There were various success stories though. The most depressing was my mimosa. It wasn't killed to the ground but it lost 1 large branch which significantly changed it's shape. I decided to try an E. H. Wilson mimosa because they are said to be the most hardy. I can't really tell any of them apart.

Here's the E H Wilson
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... 3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... 4c3373.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 E H Wilson Mimosa in Springfield, IL photo 2014ehwilsonmimosa_zps044c3373.jpg"/></a>

This is the best mimosa that I have seen in Springfield. It had almost no dieback and flowered before any others that I saw.
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... 6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... af97a6.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 Mimosa in springfield, IL photo 2014mimosa_zpsa8af97a6.jpg"/></a>

Here's my Bracken Brown Beauty, it dropped a lot of leaves but it still looks alright:
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... 3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... 6748c3.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 Southern Magnolia in Springfield, IL photo 2014somagBBB_zps636748c3.jpg"/></a>

Edith Bogue, also lost a lot of leaves:
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... 7.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... bd0be7.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 Edith Bogue Southern Magnolia in Springfield, IL photo 2014somageb_zpsa9bd0be7.jpg"/></a>

Here's a D. D. Blanchard at Washington Park. There are 3 of them and this one did the best, the other 2 were pretty much killed back to the roots.
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... b7a1ae.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 D D Blanchrad southern Magnolia at Washington Park in Springfield, Il photo 2014somagddblanchard_zpsdfb7a1ae.jpg"/></a>

Crepe Myrtle Zuni, this turned out really nice:
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... 47515a.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 Crepe Myrtle Zuni in Springfield, IL photo 2014cmzuni_zps1847515a.jpg"/></a>

CM Pink Velour:
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... cf2d1c.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 Crepe Myrtle Pink Velour in Springfield, IL photo 2014cmpinkvelour_zpsa4cf2d1c.jpg"/></a>

Crepe Myrtle Tonto, this is just a 2 year old plant. Wasn't outside last winter, but I heard they are extremely hardy.
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... 4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... 3baba4.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 Crepe Myrtle Tonto in Springfield, IL photo 2014cmtonto_zps583baba4.jpg"/></a>

CM Natchez, also didn't stay outdoors last winter:
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... 12075d.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 Crepe Myrtle Natchez in Springfield IL photo CrepeMyrtleNatchez_zps0012075d.jpg"/></a>

Crepe Myrtle in Carbondale IL. What mine will never look like:
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... 64050d.jpg" border="0" alt="Crepe Myrtle in Carbondale, IL photo 2014cmcarbondale_zps9064050d.jpg"/></a>

Yucca rostrata spear pulled but is coming back from the center. I didn't know they could do that. I thought it was dead:
<a href="http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/Sprin ... 0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... ab9100.jpg" border="0" alt="2014 yucca rostrata in Springfield IL photo 2014yrostrata_zps0dab9100.jpg"/></a>

Nice crepe myrtles! I think these can be used up north, where summers get hot.
Plus, they recover well after unusually cold winters.

Thanks, they don't get very tall where I'm at. Winter often kills them back to the roots. I wish I had tried a Hopi. That one might have the best chance of becoming a tree here.

Right, perhaps with protection. But, good plants even when they die back.

Agreed, I can't get enough of them even as shrubs.

And, great fall color coming soon!

Yep, they're pretty much the perfect deciduous plant. You probably saw quite a few in OK didn't you?

Everywhere! None in Oregon. I think they need more Summer heat.

WOW, those crepe myrtles look very nice! What nice color they add to the garden.

DesertZone wrote:WOW, those crepe myrtles look very nice! What nice color they add to the garden.

Thanks Aaron!

If anyone in zone 5b is interested, it seems like the CM zuni's took last winter in stride. One came back with no mulch. I have a CM dynamite (which I don't have a picture of because it hasn't flowered yet) that I thought was dead. It finally started growing in July. But the Zunis came back vigorously in April. I even had a seed from a Zuni sprout in my yard.

Nice Plants I live in Jonesboro, IL it's about 40 min south of Carbondale. I know the McDonald's in Carbondale those crape myrtles are at they are very nice. I have a large old crape myrtle in my yard thats essentially a small tree. Crape Myrtles and Mimosas usually always do pretty good down here. Actually Mimosas are kind of a weed tree down here and can be kind of invasive. I planted a Chocolate Mimosa but between the deer and last years cold winter it has not done a whole lot.

Thanks! We went through Jonesboro on our way to Cape Girardea. There was a place here that was selling chocolate mimosas. I bet they are dead from last winter if anyone planted them. I've never actually seen one planted in the south.

Great looking trees! Thanks for posting, even way back.. I would love to get my hands on a CM and BBB for Southern Ontario. 6a/6b here, think they would work? Yes I would protect them.

Dan

From what I've read and experienced, not all Crepe Myrtles are equally hardy. They say the ones with the Indian names (like Zuni, Tonto, etc.) are the most hardy. They say they like alot of heat too. We didn't have a real hot summer this year and they did alright. I've even had a Zuni seedling come up in my yard. CMs would usually be a die back perennial unless the lows stay above 0 degrees F (some can take more). I have a CM dynamite that survived but didn't start growing till July and never really flowered this year. All the snow cover probably helped too.

If you get a large enough BBB you probably wouldn't have to do much to it once it's established. I watered mine daily the first year. mulched it for the first 3 winters, and sprayed the leaves with wilt proof the first 2 winters. Edith Bogue did better for me last winter than BBB. There are 2 Little Gems here that were killed. But I have seen some huge BBBs here that looked great after last winter, they did lose their leaves though. My BBB was ordered from a local nursery, maybe you could do that. It was about 6 feet tall when I got it. Good luck!

Really? Thats cool. My chocolate mimosa is the only one iv seen in person its small and keeps dying back to the ground may not be as hardy as the green types I see around here some are very large. I have a southern Magnolia I planted a few years ago and has done well. Not sure of the variety maybe just a non cultivar seed grown tree. There are many southern magnolias planted down here and some of them are really big and old.

I think it would be neat to have a chocolate mimosa even as a die-back perennial.