Black is the new green. I am convinced of that after seeing a new ‘Black Diamond’ Crape Myrtle. I have done posts on black plants before, most notably http://thegardendiaries.blog/2012/06/30/50-shades-of-black/Â and you could have an entire garden of black flowers and plants if you wanted. But you need to use black judiciously next to bright colors for the best effect, such as lime, or bright pink.
So, when I saw this black Crape Myrtle at my Lowes, I stopped to take a picture, finger the leaves and think about taking one home.  I loved the foliage but am skeptical that the color remains that intense as the plant matures. The flower is the right color to show off the foliage and is a super saturated pinky red. Since I have very little space to plant a Crape Myrtle ( I already have about 6!), I am not going to cave in and make this an impulse buy. I need to find out first if the color is consistent, and if it flowers profusely before I lay out the money. I have been burned on too many plants in the past, so I am going to wait this one out.
Thank you for sharing this. The Black Diamond is now on my wish list and soon to be in my front yard!!!!
Gorgeous! In the South, we spell crapemyrtles with an “A.”
I notice that it is spelled both ways
Sorry, my bad. Steve Bender at Southern Living magazine spells crapemyrtle with an “e” 9http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2009/07/10/crepe-myrtle/). In his words: “I spell it with an ‘e’ because the crinkled flowers remind me of crepe. If you want to spell it ‘crape,’ go ahead — on your own blog.”
When I was very young (early to mid 1950s), the first crepe myrtle I remember seeing was behind the bleachers of a stock cars race track in Orlando, Florida. I can still “see” the magnificent purple flowers in my mind’s eye. My mother told me it was a crepe myrtle, but I guess I thought she said Grape Myrtle since it was purple. I didn’t realize my mistake until many years later when I saw the name in print! I too prefer “crepe” because the edges of the flowers remind me of crepe paper when its edge is slightly stretched.
http://allthingsplants.com/ideas/view/dave/1396/Solving-the-Mystery-of-the-Black-Diamond-Crepe-Myrtle-Series/
You should read this. You can find the same plants under their old name for much less.