Lagerstroemia indica Indyvio Summer Violet - Crape Myrtle

The Lagerstroemia indica 'Indyvio Summer Violet' is a large Indian Lilac that offers early flowering, with an intense purple colour, more or less bluish or purplish depending on the lighting, wonderfully contrasting with golden yellow stamens. This very beautiful deciduous and resistant bush seduces with its vigorous growth, dark and matte foliage, red young shoots, decorative bark, but also and above all for its early summer flowering, perfectly adapted to cooler regions. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful summer-flowering shrubs and deserves a special place in the garden. Placed in a large pot on the terrace, it will earn you compliments from everyone.

Lagerstroemia indica 'Indyvio Summer Violet' belongs to the Lythraceae family, descended from Lagerstroemia indica, a deciduous shrub native to China. 'Indyvio Summer Violet' is part of a line of shrubs called INDIYA CHARMS, selected for the quality and early flowering, more suitable for less southern regions, but also for their increased hardiness (up to -15°C (5°F)). This bush has an upright, bushy and branching habit, with a rounded crown. It will reach a height of 4 to 5 m (13 to 16ft) at maturity, with a diameter of 2 to 3 m (7 to 10ft). Its growth is quite fast. It chooses the month of July to start its flowering, which will continue until October. The flowers are characterized by thin pedicels, each bearing five undulate-edged petals that make up this flower. The flowers, with a texture reminiscent of crepe paper, are gathered in large, dense panicles at the ends of the current year's branches. In 'Indyvio Summer Violet', the buds are indigo violet, then they open up into intense purple. The coriaceous and deciduous foliage emerges red, then becomes dark green and matte. It consists of small ovate leaves, which sometimes take on pretty yellow or red hues in autumn, depending on the climate. Lastly, and to end on a beautiful note, its bark is truly beautiful, smooth, beige striated with reddish-brown, peeling off in coloured patches (cinnamon, faded red, old rose, cream).

Indian Lilacs traditionally bring glory to gardens in the Southwest. Varieties like 'Indyvio Summer Violet' make these fantastic little trees accessible to all gardens. Better suited to the colder areas of our region, it will be adopted in the garden by carefully choosing its location. It will make a good impression in a shrub border, a flowering hedge, or emerging from a mound of perennials. Create a border like a bouquet, with Campanula pyramidalis, Salvia sclarea, Aster laevis. In autumn, it accompanies the asters, as colourful as itself. In a large pot on the terrace, it provides a spectacle when summer flowering begins to fade. You could create a weaving of blue aubrieta, alyssum, and silver baskets to dress the base of its trunk, emphasise its bark, and reflect its breathtaking flowering.

NB: Carl Linnaeus named this tree to pay tribute to his friend Magnus Von Lagestroem (1696 - 1759), who had sent it to him from India for identification. Originally, this tree was used to decorate Chinese temples. We would like to point out that this tree produces fruits that have a narcotic effect if ingested.