Mine were sent to me by a friend and I planted them out with great trepidation, but even the repeated -45 degree wind chills we had last winter didn't kill them. They did suffer die-back, and do so every winter, but they did and do grow back. I may never see a bloom here, but they're definitely hardier than I ever thought they'd be.

Thanks for the encouragement, Chelle. I hope they make it. I got them planted a bit late, but they are on southfacing slopes and heavily mulched, so we'll see. It's so frustrating: I held off for years buying crepe myrtles because I wasn't convinced they'd survive, but then the past couple of years EVERYBODY in my region seems to be growing them so I finally broke down and bought a couple....and now we have the coldest winter on record. *LOL*