Without crape myrtles summers in Austin would be colorless indeed. Instead practically everywhere you look there are panicles of watermelon red, purple, white, pale pink, and deep red. Crape myrtles look fresh even on the hottest day and provide low-maintenance flowers on multi-trunked small trees. Some cultivars, such as 'Catawba', also provide fall color as their leaves turn a bittersweet orange.