My favorite is a glossy red new growth compact variety named Summerlasting Strawberry.” For tree-form crape myrtles, choose medium or large varieties like Dynamite, Muskogee, or Natchez.

Dear Neil: Why do named varieties of crape myrtles seem to disappear from nurseries? Two popular names from the past, Watermelon Red and Glendora White, are rarely available. As with most other ...