What do Jacaranda & Crape Myrtles look like in winter???
marciem
13 years ago
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gobluedjm 9/18 CA
13 years agosautesmom Sacramento
13 years agoRelated Discussions
A crape myrtle at a location without sun in winter
Comments (7)Hmm, That really is a bad location. Not only is the tree heavily shaded, but, from what you say and from looking at the picture, the area appears to be way too small for most crape myrtles. Do you know how large the particular crape myrtle you have is supposed to grow? If you really want one at that location, leave it and see what happens. The worse thing that could happen is that the tree wouldn't make it and you'd have to remove it later. You should be able to tell whether it will make it in a fairly short time, so what do you have to loose (except for a crape myrtle)? Other trees might work better, but if it's what you want, give it a try....See MoreMost tree like Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle) for Zone 6?
Comments (13)If it can get to -20* in northwest AR and kill the crapes to the ground, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high in z6, sorry Toronado! Maybe as a potted specimen. Otherwise as much winter protection as you can spare would be the only way. Have you thought about taking a cutting of the one you see in the neighborhood? I would think that would be your best bet. It has clearly taken a z6 beating numerous times and survived. Crapes are about the toughest plants around here I have experienced. Maybe take a few cuttings to make sure you can get them to root. I dug a couple crapes out of my front bed that had only been there 1 year and I have suckers EVERYWHERE coming up from the severed roots. 1 I let grow and it shot up over 2' and flowered profusely. Good luck! John...See MoreWinter protection in z6 for Black Diamond crape myrtle, Japanese Maple
Comments (15)I have 26 Japanese Maples, most purchased as very tiny first or second year plants, and I do no winter protection on them and haven't lost a one in nine years. Get them well established with proper watering this fall, mulch them well, and leave them alone. As far as the Crape Myrtles, in my own experience it depends on how the winter winds move throughout your yard. I will give you a hint on managing them even though it makes me look like an idiot- When I first moved here in '07 I had no idea how to manage many of this zones plants. Spring was an extremely amazing time- I had come from South Florida, so spring was a novelty to me. Every morning I would rush out to look at my new plantings to see buds or leaves. I got busy doing my spring chores- pruning and so on. My first year with Crape Myrtles here (we had them in SoFla as well) they never budded. I always thought the winter had gotten them and pruned them back knowing that the roots had probably survived and they had. They always came back, but seemed to die back every winter. I saw nice big mature Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood, though, and couldn't figure out where I went wrong. Then I had a family emergency year where I had next to no time to garden. I would go out, check the Crape Myrtles for growth and think "I really need to cut those back" but I could never find the time. Finally in about May they budded out! All up and down the stems, too- not just from root growth. That's my very long winded way of saying that they can be VERY late to leaf out. All those years I had cut them back in my early spring frenzy I had been cutting off viable stems. DUH me. I do no winter protection here except for a very few mophead hydrangeas. I try to select good plants for my zone, grow them well, and aside from that they are on their own. I think your plants will be fine....See MoreWhat to do with large Crape Myrtles
Comments (16)What's going to happen if you "remove" trunks (cut them to the ground) is that 2 or 3 will grow back where one once was. Usually, this is a small battle that continues over years, as periodically, new trunks want to come from the cut stump. To have this as a goal seems a bit futile in terms of maintenance, IMO. Additionally, the trunk system creates an important aspect of the tree's form. One must question if a more sparse skeleton is better than a more thickly populated one. I asked earlier what your vision was for the finished product, but never heard a reply to that question. As it is the nature of the crape myrtle to be a multi-trunk plant, why not create a trunk system that is somewhat of a "bouquet" arrangement -- leaving trunks but getting rid of the side branches that emanate below a designated canopy bottom height? That is easily more sustainable as side branches will tend to quit growing after a period, especially once they become under the shade of the canopy. This would change the monster, sprawling bush into a tidy tree. Whether or not you top it annually for an enhanced effect is up to you. I agree with Rev on so many things, but when he says "Topping crapes looks stupid and is bad practice" ... that is not one of them. In spite of that, one has the option of going either way on this point -- annually topping, or not. The latter provides a more natural look, and the former, a more robust, cultivated appearance with much larger flower trusses ... and a bit of a weeping habit. [I will try to get a picture of what I think is a good example of an annually topped crape. OP, you can make up your own mind about it.]...See Morehosenemesis
13 years agojean001
13 years agomarciem
13 years agosocks
13 years agoaquilachrysaetos
13 years agoIEkaren
11 years agochas045
11 years agosocks
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11 years agolotus02
6 years agoEtor Adamaley
3 years agoaquilachrysaetos
3 years agoSusan Highland USDA Zone 9b
3 years agochloebud
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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