Dark Leaf Crape Myrtles for North Florida Landscapes
Crape myrtles are hands down one of the best plants to bring summer color to North Florida landscapes.
They bloom for months during the hottest part of the year, they’re drought tolerant, they grow quickly, and they ask for very little in return. Crape myrtles even thrive in places where most plants would struggle. You’ll see them growing in parking lot medians and other tough locations with very little care, so you know they’re a good choice for home landscapes, even if you’re not a seasoned pro.
I love the timing of crape myrtle blooms. They provide color when many spring-flowering plants have finished their show. When summer arrives and a lot of landscapes start looking tired, crape myrtles are just getting started.
In recent years, the introduction of dark-leaf varieties has opened up an exciting new potential for gardens and landscapes.
These newer selections combine all the strengths of traditional crape myrtles with foliage that ranges from deep burgundy to nearly black. You still get the incredible flowers and long bloom season, but now you also get dramatic foliage color from spring through fall.
While there are many shrubs with colorful foliage, there aren’t many trees that bring rich color to a landscape for most of the year. Even before the flowers open, these plants have a strong presence.
A single dark-leaf crape myrtle in a sunny location can be a focal point all by itself. But in my opinion, things start to get really interesting when you plan out special color combinations to go with these showy trees.
If you enjoy bold landscapes, I would start with varieties that have bright red or pure white flowers.
The contrast between those flowers and the dark foliage is dramatic right off the bat. These are the combinations that stand out from the street. They’re visible from a distance and create a lot of visual energy.
If you’re the kind of person who likes bold colors and wants your landscape to make a statement, this is the direction to go.
To take it even further, pair those dark-leaf crape myrtles with yellow or chartreuse foliage plants like Golden Oakland Holly, Sunshine Ligustrum, or Eureka Gold Yaupon Holly. Gold-leaf conifers like Gold Mop Cypress and Night Light Hinoki Cypress can be excellent as well.
These combinations are multilayered, and I love to see simple pairings do so much visually. These combinations aren’t just complimenting colors. They combine different textures and plant forms. A lot of these companion plants are rounded or finely textured, which creates even more contrast against the upright structure of the crape myrtle.
White-flowering panicle hydrangeas are another combination I really like. Limelight is probably the best-known variety, but there are many excellent choices that do the same thing. Their large white flower clusters bloom around the same time crape myrtles start flowering, and the pure white blooms look fantastic against dark foliage.
These versatile plants can work in the other visual direction as well.
The pink, lavender, and purple-flowering dark-leaf crape myrtles create a more subtle interest, but in my opinion, they create some of the most sophisticated color combinations in the landscape.
The flowers naturally complement the dark purple-black foliage, creating a look that’s still colorful and showy, but a little softer and more refined. These combinations are often best appreciated up close, so I like to use them around patios, seating areas, and front entrances.
Loropetalums are a natural companion. They repeat those rich burgundy and purple tones throughout the landscape while providing a completely different plant shape.
Japanese maples work beautifully as well. An elegant red-leaf Japanese maple near an entrance paired with dark-leaf crape myrtles further out in the landscape can help tie the design together.
However, my favorite of these complementary combinations is Vitex.
Most Vitex varieties bloom during the same period as crape myrtles, and many have blue-purple flowers that look incredible with dark foliage. Those blue-purple flowers also pair beautifully with pink and lavender crape myrtle blooms.
The soft grey-green foliage of Vitex adds another color combination that adds to the picture, without stealing focus for itself. Complementary colors make the design feel cool, calm, and effortless.
Blue and silver foliage plants deserve special attention around dark-leaf crape myrtles.
Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress can be outstanding. Its powder-blue foliage shines harmoniously against dark crape myrtle leaves, and it’s surprisingly versatile. It can be grown as a tree, maintained as a large shrub, or even trained into topiary forms.
For groundcovers, Gray Owl Juniper and Blue Pacific Juniper both work well. Silver Saw Palmetto is another favorite of mine because it brings native North Florida character into the landscape while contributing that same cool silver-blue color.
Whether you plant one as a specimen tree or build an entire color scheme around it, dark-leaf crape myrtles offer opportunities that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. They’re beautiful by themselves, but when paired with the right companion plants, they can take a landscape from attractive to spectacular.
In Stock as of June 2026
Delta Eclipse
Ebony and Ivory
Ebony Fire
Ebony Flame
Thunderstruck Lavender Blast
Thunderstruck White Lightning
Thunderstruck Lavender Skies
Thunderstruck Coral Boom
Purple Delight.