Crepe Myrtles are Pretty Addition to a Garden for Fall Color

Crepe Myrtle Adds Fall Color

Marietta is filled with pretty crepe myrtle trees this Fall. The flowers decorate for many weeks during the summer and just now displayed vibrant leaves. The best time to plant crepe myrtle trees is in the winter... so add one or two to your yard soon.

New Crepe Myrtle

But be careful if one pops up in the middle of your yard. Dig it up, if you don't want it there before it establishes roots. The plant is considered invasive by some. Here someone has decided to let a crepe myrtle planted by nature take off. They are fast growing trees. 



Photography Assignment

Finished up a journalism camp last week. The kids created a neat paper with lots of information about Roswell in it. I'm hoping the campers will check out my blog and be surprised to find a new photography assignment waiting for them--

Go in your backyard and find something textured in a little bit of sun. Take the shot at 5 PM, 6 PM, 7 PM and 8 PM. (Perhaps a Crepe Myrtle or Magnolia.) How different do the photographs look?

Here is my Christmas Crepe that I was searching for. As you remember these are complementary colors.

Plant Id

Please teach your children to identify a few plants. I distinctly remember the day my little four year old pointed out the window of our home and said, "Look there is a red blue-jay." So, we taught him a new word "cardinal." But you'll get my point, he did not call it a red bird.

I have the pleasure of teaching children in my photography camps, the names of many flowering plants. Right now the crepe mrytle are in full bloom in Marietta, Georgia. Teach your children that the flowering trees, trimmed by many gardeners, are crepe mrytle. This is easy to quiz them on right now... ask them the name on every street in all the pink, purple and white varities as you drive by. To the left is the whole tree for identification. To the right, is my art version.

The reason I bring this up, is I do not know the id of this plant. I so like to name my photographs by their names to help teach... can you help me out?

Thanks.