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A stunning new dwarf Crape Myrtle that folks in southern and northern gardens can enjoy, 'Dark Roast' has a very small habit that's a perfect fit for smaller garden spaces and containers. Living up to its name, it features the darkest foliage, near-black shades, of any variety in the Barista Collection. Summer brings an explosion of bright fuchsia-pink flowers in large clusters that nearly smother the foliage. Bloom time depends on your location. In cooler Zones 6 and 7 climates, blooming occurs late summer through early fall. In Zone 8 and 9, blooming occurs early to mid-summer through late summer. Its mature size will also depend on your location. Southern Gardeners in Zone 7-9 can expect a 3 to 3.5-foot tall and wide shrub with no dieback during winter. In Zone 6, like butterfly bushes, it might die back to the ground during winter, then reemerge in spring to reach 18-24 inches tall and wide by the end of spring. 

The Dark Roast Dwarf Crape Myrtle is exceptionally easy to grow and maintain when planted right and in the right spot. It's not too picky about soil type; however, it prefers moist, well-drained soil of average fertility and as much sun as possible. Light shade is tolerated, but flowering is diminished with more shade. Maintenance is minimal, with very little, if any, pruning required for plants to maintain density and a nice form. That said, spent flowers can be removed to encourage a possible second flush of flowers. A light pruning before leaves emerge in early spring can help to maintain a more dense shrub. In Zone 6, where the plant dies back to the ground, simply cut back old growth when new growth begins to emerge from the ground in spring. When established, plants are quite drought tolerant; only requiring supplemental water during prolonged dry periods during summer. As with all other crape myrtles, deer won't touch it.

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