Lagerstroemia indica 'Deleb'
Lagerstroemia indica 'Deleb' Delta Eclipse™ on the Low irrigation treatment in September 2018. Photo: SK Reid.
Summary
The unique selling point of Delta Eclipse is the rich, dark foliage, which open house participants described variously as red, red-brown, purple, burgundy, and a “good chocolate color with a bit of sheen.” When contrasted with the orchid pink flower color, it made quite a striking display in bloom. The foliage color remained throughout the season, neither bleaching out or turning green as can occur in other species with dark foliage. Flowering started in July and continued through October with peak bloom occurring in August and September (Table 10a). Three individuals flowered early in May and June. Trials staff and several open house participants noticed that some plants had dried and curled leaf edges late in the season. Delta Eclipse was popular at events, being the second and third most favorite plant of the Summer and Fall Open Houses, respectively (Table 10b). There was no difference in growth between treatments. Final size (above) is not reflective of eventual size of this woody perennial. Delta Eclipse was scored high in all aesthetic rating categories, with no differences observed between treatments. An additional bonus was that dead flowers were quickly self-cleaning leaving shiny reddish seed pods, giving the plant a tidy appearance even after blooming. Due to the lack of difference in performance between treatments, we recommend Delta Eclipse as an excellent performer for Low water.
Basic Info
| Submitted by: | Sunset Western Garden Collection |
| Site(s): | UC Davis |
| Trial Exposure: | Sun |
| Year evaluated: | 2018 |
Height & Width (after 2 years): | 3.3' x 3.3' |
Reported Height & Width (at maturity): | 8-12' x 4-6' |
| WUCOLS plant type: | T A |
| Water Needs & WUCOLS Region: | Low - Region 2 |
Mean Overall Appearance rating: (1-5 Scale, 5 is highest) | 4.1 |
Flowering Months: | May-October |
