Miss Francis (Lagerstroemia indica ‘Miss Francis’) is Part of the Southern Living® Plant Collection, Miss Francis is a new, true-red flowering crape myrtle. It produces lustrous green leaves with dark red flowers for an extended flowering season from late June into August. Miss Francis displays a round, spreading growth habit and has displayed a high resistance to disease, particularly powdery mildew. The mature bark is a gray-orange color, making an attractive winter feature. At maturity, it can reach a height of 15 plus feet –the right size for a small specimen tree or shrub. Plant the Miss Francis crape myrtle in full sun, as even a little shade will reduce flowering. It thrives in any kind of soil, from sand to clay, and in both acidic and alkaline soils. It has some resistance to salt spray, so it grows well near the beach. It is tough enough to grow well in harsh urban areas, and it always looks green and healthy. Cold hardy in USDA Zones 7-9.