Crape Myrtle ‘Rosea Nova’ · Lagerstroemia indica ‘Rosea Nova’

'Rosea Nova' is a deep pink-flowered cultivar of Lagerstroemia indica, reaching 4 to 6 m in height and 3 to 5 m across at maturity, with a rounded, multi-stemmed crown rather than the looser open canopy of the typical species. Growth is slow to moderate, so target calibre in the catalogue translates directly to installed effect on site. Flowering runs through July and August into early autumn as dense panicles of crinkled, deep pink florets on current-year wood; autumn brings yellow to red foliage, and winter exposes smooth, exfoliating bark in pale brown and grey patches.

The climatic envelope across Spain is broad. The species handles heat and prolonged summer drought of the Mediterranean littoral, the Balearics, and the inland meseta without distress once established, and is hardy to roughly -12 to -15 °C, covering Greater Madrid winters and most continental interior sites. Performance falls off in the cool, humid summers of the cornisa cantábrica, where it flowers thinly. Salt tolerance is low, so coastal positions need a buffer from direct maritime exposure.

Water demand is modest once the root system is anchored. Plan supplementary irrigation through the first two to three summers; mature specimens then hold form and flower under restricted regimes typical of municipal sequía protocols, though heaviest bloom follows summers with some deep watering. The tree wants full sun and well-drained soil, tolerating the acidic profiles of Atlantic Spain as well as the alkaline and clay-loam soils of the eastern and southern peninsula. It is pavement-compatible and routinely specified for street alignments and urban pits.

Genus Lagerstroemia is not on the current Xylella fastidiosa host list, giving it standing as a non-host flowering alternative where Olea, Nerium or Polygala myrtifolia are constrained in demarcated zones. Watch points are crape myrtle bark scale, aphids, and powdery mildew on sites with poor air movement. As a flowering small tree it sits in the same specification slot as Jacaranda mimosifolia or Brachychiton populneus but at a tighter scale, useful in courtyard, patio and confined avenue contexts where a full-canopy ornamental would overrun the site.