2 -3 inches of compost w/ wood chips were removed near the base yesterday. Is it planted too deeply?

Here is a pic of the only bloom. It is small, only about 3 inches long.

i guess that all of them do not bloom as vigourous as others. I see them around my town and some are full of flowers and others are not. Your tree also seems fairly young. I think it is a miami variety but i cant be sure.

here is a pic of one i just planted last weekend. It is full of buds but has not bloomed yet. It is about 4 feet tall.

Yours has beautiful buds. Congratulations.

My tree is atleast 15 ft tall so it's not that young, I don't think.....it should certainly have shorter limbs and more blooms. Yours is only 4 feet tall and you have nice buds and what looks like sturdier limbs.

Are you saying that Miami Crepe Myrtles don't bloom as well as other crepes? can't tell exactly from how you wrote your response.

Thanks.

No, i mean crape myrtles in general.
Some wont bloom the same as others.
When im driving down the highway i see several that are planted next to each other and they are obviously the same type but some will have more blooms than the others.
I though your tree was about 8 feet tall, lol. It doesn't seem like its near 15 feet. Do you know how old it is?

It was much taller than me, 7 - 8 ft when I bought it. It has grown atleast 3 feet each of the past 2 years (maybe 4 or more feet, it's hard to tell exactly because I've trimmed it a little each February.

I have no idea how old it was when I bought it. paid a lot for it and it has been VERY disappointing.

As you said it could be that this particular tree is a late bloomer (must not be Sioux because I've heard Sioux Crepes are one of the more profuse bloomers).

Gee I wish someone could direct me. It's too late to buy a replacement this year.

Thank God My pink Velour is blooming great.

Good luck!

I hope mine will open the buds soon!

Oh. One piece of advice that might help open your buds...if it hasn't rained there recently then you might want to give it a good soaking with the hose.

I guess you're already doing that since you just planted yours.... watering it frequently during this hot weather.

I find that with my Pink Velour that when it hasn't rained, that if I give it a good soaking then it will bloom the next day.

When did that bloom open up?
I see there are other buds on your branches.
Although your tree is somewhat tall, it does not have very many branches and is not very dense.
Maybe in later years when it is older it will put out more flowers.

Watering might make more blooms pop (I don't know), but, in general, crApe myrtles will bloom fairly well in relatively dry conditions. CrApe myrtles are much more drought-tolerant than many other shrubs and trees.

As already mentioned, I think your crApe is likely to produce significantly more flowers in future years. Younger/more recently planted ones are typically not going to bloom their heads off.

okay. I need patience I guess. can anyone verify that this tree is Miami ? or Sioux ?

I'd love to be able to identify it.

also, can anyone tell me if it is planted too deeply / sunken?

It is getting more and more buds on it. So hopefully it will put on a show soon. If so, I'll rephotograph it.

There is a website called crapemyrtleguy.com
He has his email and phone number listed on it.
You can ask him what kind it is.
He also sells many different varieties so if you want another one you can also buy from him.

I texted him earlier this week and he responds very quickly!

thank you. I'll try that.

Here it is as of today July 31 2014. Some buds are still forming and a few are starting to bloom. Gee is it slow. I'll be lucky if it is fully blooming by mid August. Can anyone relate to this?

Oh.I contacted that CrapeMyrtleGuy website and the man who emailed me back said it looked like my CM was healthy.

Another note: yesterday I looked close at where I had pruned it in Feb. to see how much was new growth. This tree almost doubled in size in this one season so it is putting most of it's energy in the limbs and much less in the blooms.

The shorter branches you see on the left are just about how tall it was in February.

The first 3 inch bloom appeared on those smaller branches maybe first or second week of July.

WIsh I knew why my tree put so much energy into growing long limbs and fewer blooms.

What can I do to get a bushier tree with more blooms might be a better question. PLEASE HELP!!!!

Im glad the crape myrtle guy said it looked healthy!
Tons of the buds have been opening up on mine. Im so excited. I will try to post a pic later.

What i can suggest ( i dont know if it will work or not) is to clip about 4 inches off of all the top branches with the blooms on them and new growth should appear out of the cuts. The new growth might make tons of flowers.
But dont do it until later in the year when the plant is dormant.

tlbean, glad to hear yours is blooming. I'd love to see photos . My pink velour is doing great. What color is your CM?

lazygardens I will try pruning as you suggest but my tree is not tiny... it is over 15 feet now (maybe betting close to 20 ft) tall so it won't be easy. I don't want it to look like a witch's broom chopped straight across the top..... but I do want it bushier. Right now the top half are long limbs that don't branch much at all.... I'd prefer shorter sturdier limbs that branch out some. Each of those top limbs are about 4 ft long and straight with little branching.

My goal is of course more blooms but I definitely want to avoid that lollipop look you see from Crape Murder. You know with all the growth at the tippy top and bare legs. Maybe that's what you meant when you said a witch's broom. I'd like a fuller / bushier more natural look if possible but not out of control crazy either. Hopefully I'm making myself clear.

Here is a short video that i just shot about an hour ago with close ups of the blooms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSJUMYjetdU&feature=youtu.be

And here is a new pic.

Please post one of the pink velour!

Beautiful. Do you know the name of yours? Razzle Dazzle?

Here is a pic of my Pink Velour. It is a cloudy day so you can't see how deep neon pink it is.

My other tree almost double the size of the pink velour but still slow to bloom. Atleast it's forming buds.

Wow! that is pretty.
Mine is called the "centennial spirit".

I've never seen Centennial Spirit in any of the Big Box stores or Nurseries around here. The one that looks similar to yours is called Razzle Dazzle I think.

I see you posted a question about taking clippings from the highway. that is so funny.

I responded to that post. This week I took several cuttings from Store Parking Lots. I guess we're obsessing over Crape Myrtles. hee Hee.

lol omg. I cant get enough!

They are so beautiful.

Before this summer i never cared for any kind of plant.
Now my eyes are wide open for any kind of landscaping.

Another obsession I have, Maybe you'll catch it is...
AMARYLLIS BULBS.

The kits show up in stores around the Fall for Christmas Presents. Sometimes they go on sale for a few dollars.

You can get the Amaryllis bulbs on Ebay too.

I have too many Amaryllis.... let's just put it that way. After the bulbs from the kits bloom, I just let them grow in a sunny window.

When Danger of frost is past, I put them out in their pots in the garden and feed them with Miracle Grow.....then.... they come inside to my basement in Oct. 31 (or before the first frost

The leaves die down and the bulbs in pots stay in my Basement all winter..... By March of the next year they push up buds. I start watering them and put them near the window and they produce the most beautiful flowers.

Believe me, if you try Amaryllis you most likely get hooked. Check out the garden web amaryllis forum if you're interested.

Attached is a pic of my Peke Ziggy with one of those Chrismas time Amaryllis Kit flowers. This one is called MINERVA. I think I paid $2 for it after Christmas (Home Depot).

Here's a funny article from SOuthern Living Magazine about Crepe Myrtles.

http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2014/08/03/why-wont-my-crepe-myrtle-bloom/

Mine have pretty heavy blooms thus year despite...the winter from he// and being cut back.

The light pink one a Dwarf Hopi, the reds are Dynamite.

SOOOO BEEEAUTIFUL!!! I'm so jealous!

I wish I could identify my lighter pink one. Maybe it's a hopi, not dwarf though?

I don't know, gotta be careful with that 'dwarf' word. I love the Dwarf Hopi, and the Dynamite Red. They are all very vigorous. Actually, I was sure the red was dead after last winter, but it grew back with a vengeance! These have been in the ground for a few years, but like I say, I do cut them back as the plot in the front is small (95% of my yard is in the back). The front gets full sun, all day and can get quite hot. These are Catalpa (purple ones)... (Have to post my Zuni post in a separate post as I am not sure how to do multiple pics here.)

This is a Zuni.

I keep this one tall (12 feet) but narrow because there are other plants in front of it (lilac, butterfly bush, and magnolia).

I'm so jealous. Love the picket fence too. My front yard slopes , so a picket fence would look weird. I think it looks better w/ a flat yard.

Your taller CM Zuni looks a little like my pink CM. I'm trying to identify it. Maybe yours is a little more powder puff pink. Mine is a pepto bismol pink.

Taking a walk this morning, I noticed the neighbors' CM blooms are starting to wane a little and my Unidentified pink CM still hasn't bloomed much at all. So disappointing.

August 5 th and have to say I'm thoroughly disgusted with this tree.

It is just beginning to bloom . It's blooming SLOWLY and the blooms look dusty to me. The color is muted not a beautiful pink but a duller pink.

I paid ALOT for the tree .... and it is not performing.

I might list it on Craigslist in the Fall as a giveaway...Have someone come and dig it up and take it for free.

Patience. Some times they just need several years to get of a critical size to really bloom well.

Next Spring I would remove a few of the lowest limbs and 'head back' the tallest ones about 6 inches to promote more of a 'canopy' up top. More branching should = more blooms.

just give it a few more years. It is still young.
Im might bloom heavily in the next couple of years.
Even though there are not a lot of blooms, it is still a pretty tree.

What I did this year was remove the lowest limbs. I did not do this for the bloom, I just like the look of the multiple trunks. The bark of a Crape is part of the attraction (color and bark naturally exfoliates).

I would give the tree some time. I don't know if it's patience, I just have so many gardening interests that any particular tree or shrub might sulk for a few years w.o. me even noticing. Trees and shrubs are not said to be fully established for up to three years after planting! So too, It might be a soil thing. I did feed mine once in the season as it was pushing new growth, otherwise I do nothing special for them. Make sure you clear the weeds over the drop line and do mulch. (Summers here are usually wet enough to eliminate the need for any watering.)

Boy oh boy, do the honeybees love their blossoms!

OK. Here is is Aug 14 , 2014. It is starting to really bloom.
I'm feeling a little happier but worry that it will always bloom so late .

I think I can rule out it being a Sioux because the leaves are not a darker green. Also the bark is a darker cinnamon than the Sioux on the National Arboretum website.

So I think it is a Miami which will probably grow too tall for the space. 30 ft would be too tall. I was hoping it was a Sioux and would grow a little smaller.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Do you mind if i ask how much you paid for that?

What does it matter how late it blooms? In my old homestead, the Crapes peaked in August through September. What else is blooming its head off at the end of September?! This is the reason I love 'em here!

2 years ago I paid around $140 and the tree was on sale.

I bought it from a nursery that has been in business for a long time in my area (not a big box store).

The Pink Velour I bought from Lowes is doing just as well or better.

The problem with it blooming late is you get less bloom time I've noticed many other Crapes in my area will bloom from June until Sept. If it performs anything like last year it will only bloom until early Sept (one month).