Q: I used to live in Alpharetta and loved the crapemyrtles. Now I’m in Ohio ( Zone 5). I planted a ‘Red Rocket’ crapemyrtle last fall. In the spring the trunks were dead but healthy sprouts have come up from the ground. Will it bloom?

A: When folks visiting from “up North” see huge Southern magnolias in front of homes and churches here, they slap their foreheads in disbelief. “It gets THAT big??” they exclaim. “They only grow to large shrubs where we come from!”

Winter cold keeps both Southern magnolia and crapemyrtle bush-like, rather than tree-like, in areas colder than Hardiness Zone 6. The good news is that crapemyrtles bloom on newly emerged branches each year. If you can keep yours from freezing totally, it will have plenty of blooms each summer. In addition, ‘Red Rocket’ has great fall color, which you will enjoy as well.