How to Care and Prune Crape Myrtle
Posted: Monday, August 08, 2005
by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com
Dear Friends, When your crape myrtle starts to flower, the hot weather is setting in. I do not know a lot about crape myrtle and I have two large bushes that I keep doing things to that probably defies all the laws of gardening, but they keep coming back.
I live in zone 6. Our daughter, Glynis, has just moved here from zone 7 and the street she lived on was loaded with crape myrtle in the form of sidewalk trees of all colors. It is a lovely street. So the note below about zone 7 may or may not be correct. Perhaps all those houses on that city street keep the air warm in the winter time for the crape myrtles.
Depending on your personal tastes, consider these options: - They are normally multi-trunked and respond well to pollarding, an old European way of hard pruning that produces a beautiful umbrella-like effect. However, once started, you must continue this method for the remainder of the life of the tree. - They can be grown as standards with a rounded top, and will reach from 10 to 20 feet high.
They are effective in groups, or as specimens. - Mildew resistant varieties usually bear Indian names, such as 'Catawba' (purple), 'Cherokee' (bright red), 'Muskogee (light lavender), 'Potomac' (pink) , 'Powhatan', 'Seminole', 'Tuscadora', my favorite, (coral pink), and 'Natchez', (white, 25 ft). - Semi-dwarf varieties (6 to 10 feet) are 'Acoma' (white), 'Hopi' (pink), 'Pecos' (pink), and 'Zuni' (lavender).
And dwarf varieties are also available to 4 feet. Vibrant fall color and lovely winter bark are a bonus. If you're at the northern end of zone 7, your crape myrtles could die to the ground.
Most crape myrtles are root-hardy as far north as Massachusetts if well mulched in winter, however, expect vigorous growth and blossoming by late spring to early summer.
Select a planting site with a southern exposure, and/or a protected area such as a wall or steep embankment. Lagerstroemia 'fauriei' is a newly developed hybrid that performs much better in colder climes, and blooms earlier in the season.
Propagation via seed is easy, and seedlings often bloom the first year. You'll need a month of cold stratification (a Ziploc baggy kept in the fridge will do it) for easy success. Cuttings are easily rooted, and will be true to parent varieties but may not bloom until their second year. Crape myrtles are being planted in pecan orchards for their properties of attracting and sustaining beneficial insects, and can serve the same purpose in the home landscape.
Contrary to many resources that claim these plants to be disease and pest-free, if you're in a humid climate expect powdery mildew and aphids. However, don't jump the gun on insecticides the crape myrtle aphid is host-specific to only crape myrtles, but is the preferred diet of 30 or so of our best beneficial insect predators.
To destroy the crape myrtle aphid is to deprive your garden of a host of natural predators. Touted by entomologists as probably the most important landscape plant in the southeastern U.S., crape myrtles are being planted in pecan orchards for their properties of attracting and sustaining beneficial insects, and can serve the same purpose in the home landscape.
Flowering occurs on new growth, so winter pruning is necessary for best results. Vigorous root systems wreak havoc on anything but the most persistent perennial underplantings and groundcovers. Liriope 'Big Blue' makes a lovely ground cover underneath, blossoming simultaneously.
If you're lucky enough to grow crape myrtle, look forward not only to weeks of hot weather and colorful bloom, but a safety net of predator insects.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime… may your day be filled with….Peace, light and love,
Arlene Wright-Correll
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More commentsRecently planted a Muskogee CM, which had been in the pot for 2-3 weeks and was thriving. It's in the 100's here in Houston. Since planting, the CM gets very droopy during the day. I water as much as I can, it perks up in the morning. Starting to get yellow leaves - have noticed no new growth since transplant. Am I watering too much or too little?I do not know.. 100 degrees is pretty hot for CM. Perhaps you should put it into a large urn and cultivate it that way.
when do you prun crape myrtleIf you are just looking to perform general maintenance on your tree, the ideal crepe myrtle pruning time is either in the late winter or early spring when the tree is in its dormancy. This is the best time to prune if you are reshaping the tree, removing deep or weak branches, trying to encourage new growth or size maintenance.
You can encourage a second growth
if you prune the crepe myrtle tree shortly after the tree’s first round of blossoms have faded. Prune the blossoms off. However, do no pruning after August when trying to get a second growth of blooms.
Since Crepe Myrtles thrive in sun and heat, what causes some to wilt as the day in the summer gets hotter? Lack of water's not a problem and one of four was overwatered causing wilt any time of the day.
We have 3 mature red CM's that just don't look healthy. A lot of branches are woody and no leaves. The leaves that are, are at the ends of branches but are red to deep brown fron the leaf extremity inward, overtaking the green. The trees are flowering with nice color but the blossoms are sporadic. Although we didn't plant them, they likely are the age of the home, 1994. CM's seem to grow will here and put on beautiful displays in the area. Can these trees be brought back and what suggestions can you give?
I suggest you just take them as they are since CM's seem to be quirky even here. I think they get tired every now and then.
Do you prune just below the blooms?You prune wherever you do not want branches. i.e. if you are trying to make a tree instead of a bush, you prune at the base and if you are trying to make it thick, short and bushy you prune at the height you want to maintain and keep pruning there each year.
Hello Arlene, We live zone 6, St. Charles, Misssouri. We have planted a Crepe Myrtle Tree and a Bush. The bush is doing great. It went from a dead looking state to a thriving growth really quick this spring. Our tree has been in the ground about 2 years and last year it was beautiful. It must have grown 2+ feet last year. This is May 2010 and our tree looks dead with no leaves or blooms, no signs of new growth. It still has spent blooms on the tree from last year. Is our tree dead? We are so worried about it. It did so well last year.I don't think it is dead. Take a small branch and break a piece off if it is dead you will know it. Sometimes these crepes as slow coming back and right now even though we are in zone 6 all ours which are about 10 yrs. old look dead as door nails. So be patient.Hello Arlene, I live in zone 6, Frankfort, Ky. My Potomac crepe myrtle has also been in ground 2 yrs and it is June 1, 2011 and it also looks dead, no signs of new growth. It was beautiful last year. My husband thinks it's dead but I keep hoping it's just slow waking up. Should it have shown signs of life by now?Dee,
Just be patient. Nature does it's own thing. Unless your branches are brittle and dead, just leave it alone. You may want to take your fingernail and scratch a branch to see whether or not it is sort of greenish yellow under the bark. If it it, then it is just doing fine. Ours here are going bererk and we are starting to prune them again. But no flowers will be arriving for awhile yet. Keep me posted.
We live in NC and pruned our crape myrtle this year, but the branches are not growing back and it is mid June! There is a little bit of growth at the pruned sites on top, so the tree shows life, but the branches aren't growing out. Did we kill our tree? Is there hope it will grow back normally next year?Branches may not grow back where you cut them off, but will grow in other places. If you wanted them where they were why did you cut them off? The object of pruning is to create a shape of the tree in the event you want a tree, to cut off suckers that may create an unruly bush. Just be patient and the crepe myrtle will probably continue doing its thing. A plant is like a person. Cut off an appendage it you must give it time to heal itself.
we moved into a new house in march. the former owner cut down about 15 CMs that were growing around the property. they started to grow branches from the stumps. now they look like bushes about 3ft tall and are flowering. how do i get them to grow into trees and how long does it usually takeYou will have to continually cut away all the branches you do not want. I would leave two or 3 of the center ones. As these grow you will need to cut away the suckers off the lower parts of these. It might take 4 or 5 years for them to become tall and strong. Should any of them be in a garden area where you might like a CM bush then let them be and only prune them to the height you want. If you want them all to be tall then you need to do what is suggested in the beginning of this response and just keep at it.Remember that CM's are not consistant each year. I have 3 lovely ones all planted at the same time. One of them is all abloom and the other two eventually will be sometime this summer.Hope this helps.Arlene Wright-Correll
I know much more about my crape myrtle tree than I did before Iread this.Thanks,David C.I am glad it was helpful David.Arlene Wright-Correll
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