Returned to Crepe Myrtle after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Crepe Myrtle failed — honey fungus affecting roots especially on stressed trees got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to keeping a mulch-free collar immediately around the trunk, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a specimen on a lawn as a traditional statement tree and exceptional seasonal spectacle from blossom through autumn colour is on full display. blossom or leaf burst in spring creating dramatic transformation this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.