10 Great Patio Trees

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Crape Myrtle
The mid- to late-summer flowers--when few other shrubs or trees are blooming--is one of this plant's attributes. Its bark--shown off on a multi-trunked form--is the other, varying from creamy white to gray to sandy brown to cinnamon, depending on the species and cutivar. Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.) comes in a wide range of sizes--from dwarf (a few feet tall) to the typical tree, which averages 20 to 30 feet tall. Flowers can be pink, lavender, rose, almost-red and white. USDA Zones (6) 7 to 9. Find out more about crape myrtle's cold-hardiness.