1. Crape Myrtle

As you enter the garden from the main entrance, make a left onto the black pathway; look to your immediate right. Crape myrtle can be found with gray bark peeling from its characteristically muscular trunk. The drought tolerance of this species has encouraged its planting worldwide. A related species of crape myrtle, L. fauriei, can also be seen at the Arboretum with cinnamon-colored bark. Crape myrtles, though stunning in fall, are also vibrant in color during summer with flowers of pink, purple, red, and white.