Earlier this year I wrote about our crepe myrtle tree as it was in full flower and growing quite well for only being a 2 year old plant.

Well...this season it's looking healthier than ever. Its leaves are the expected vibrant green and there has been no sunburn on its tips which marred last years flowering season. But the most exciting news is that there is a profusion of blooms all over this tree preparing to open over the Christmas period.

What did we do differently? Firstly, we mulched the soil in early spring with a rich mushroom compost. This helped add some much needed nutrients to the soil and has kept the plant from drying out. We also added some extra blood and bone fertiliser to the garden bed at the same time.

Second, we mended the reticulation so that the crepe myrtle was able to secure a reliable water source. Last year we were having a few issues with our retic that saw every other plant do well but limited our myrtle tree.

I also pruned the crepe myrtle when it was in its dormant period over winter by about a third and continually removed the usual suckers as they appeared. Crepe myrtles have a habit of growing as bushes if you allow them to yet this is not our desire so we need to keep up with removing the suckers that appear at the base of the plant.

Crepe myrtles, or crape myrtles as some people refer to them, are given their name for the papery crepe-like flowers that are produced en masse during the summer season. They begin as a vibrant pink flower and dull down as the age of the blooms increase.

Our particular plant only grows to about 1.5m (3-4ft) but apparently there is a new miniature variety - the dwarf crepe myrtle tree - that will only grow to about 1ft. Its weeping habit ensures that the plant sprawls much wider than the standard crepe myrtle but the profusion of flowering is even more intense.