You really shouldn't have brought them inside. They would have been far better off if they had been allowed to go dormant. Trees use this dormant period to rest and get ready for all the work they have to do in warmer months. Now that you have already done this AND it is too late to send them back outside for a rest, I would probably hold them until after the last freeze. It certainly wouldn't hurt to put them outside during warm days, but they are now unprepared for a freeze and probably for temperatures nearing freezing.

I've got a similar area to deal with, although thank goodness it is still shaded with healthy live oaks. Tilling might help remove the more shallow rooted things, but for the woody growth and deep rooted stuff you will probably have to use something systemic that will kill the whole plant. And then you will have to wait until the plant dies, so it's not all that quick. Of course if there is nothing in the area that you care to save/protect, then something more radical that would really turn the soil up by going deep (like a disker or bulldozer, etc.) might eliminate most of the deeper stuff. I'm no expert (why not talk to one...a landscaper?), but that seems like the only way. I've got to be especially careful so as not to harm my oaks. I am going to use a poison that I normally use on mesquite trees which is a combination of diesel and Remedy (bought at feed stores). Diesel by itself often does the trick on woody growth. You can mix it and put it in a sprayer or pour some in a container and use a cheap paint brush to 'paint' it onto the woody growth. If you choose the spray method that is not meant to suggest that you just spray a broad area. Either way you do it, you must do each plant individually being careful not get it anywhere else BUT on the plant. And with this method you must paint/spray it all the way around the woody stem, not just on one side of it. Encircling the plant's main trunk this way insures that the penetration is even and completely goes to the plant's core and is eventually absorded by the roots. What I will do is cut each woody growth down to a stub and then paint the stub right away while the 'cut wound' is still open. And needless to say, one must wear appropriate protection (gloves, long sleeves/pants, mask) when working with this toxic stuff. The Crape Myrtles sound lovely but won't provide much shade, if that is one of your criteria. I planted a red oak about 10 years ago (it was just 4ft at the time), and now it's at least 20 feet tall and turns a lovely red in the fall. You might also look into other kinds of oaks or you might consider a gingko tree or two. Once established they are not susceptible to disease, are long lived and turn a beautiful golden yellow. I'm not sure where you live, but if water is not an issue then cypress might be pretty too. You might consider planting some that are evergreen and some that are deciduous. What I enjoy about the live oaks is that they stay green all winter until the early spring, and then quickly shed their leaves just as other decidous plants that have been leafless all winter are sprouting new growth. Some people plant deciduous trees purposely on the northwest side of their homes so that the sun will be able to warm the house in the cold of winter, while providing much needed shade in the warmer months. Good luck with your project, and hope you will share your process so we can all learn with you.

Tonto is a semi-dwarf as well and is usually given as a 6-12 foot height. Very mildew resistant and red in color (more toward hot pink then red IMHO). The best way to buy for color is to see it in bloom first at least if this is really important. This is not the best time to plant but because mislabeling happens too often in crapes it is still best to buy in bloom (IMHO). Over the last ten years I have seen between 10-20 of the crapes going thru in a given year be mislabelled sad but true and even tho I know a lot of crape varieties by color and growth habit I still can't guarantee 100% without at least seeing blooms to match variety claimed on label and even then if they are growing 10 red varieties from dwarf to tree types it is even more difficult as a nurseryman to insure you are getting the right cultivar. This is a sad but true aspect of this business and with low wage factory farming catering to the big box mentality I don't see it improving any time soon. Much of the help potting up these plants can't read english, so how can they know, even if they do care what varieties they are potting up. Just a little insight to the grower and nursery end of the crape id problems that occur. Happy Growing David

As NHBabs said, your crApe myrtle appears to have a great future. I'm glad you posted that picture. I was imagining something in much worse shape. If it were me, I would do a couple of things. First, prune the dead stem down to just a little above the highest branching shoot you plan to keep. If all or most of the shoots are coming from below ground level, cut the dead stem at ground level. Second, I would remove the bed liner. It doesn't seem to be serving any real purpose, and it will prevent roots from growing out normally. Such a "weed barrier" is also a barrier to the crApe myrtle's roots. Around future larger trees, it could be a much bigger problem by encouraging future girdling roots.