How do you use crape myrtles?
Comments (18)
lynnencfan
15 years agoI have had this grouping of 2 for 8 years now and absolutely love it - excuse the droopy lambs ear - it just got planted there
I have started Parks sonic series from seed which is the shrub crepe myrtle this year and plan to do a hedge of them out front mixing them with other flowering shrubs. I also have taken reseeders from the larger trees and planted them in other areas of the yard. I have a white one planted at the edge of the woods about 10ft in and it gives me a pop of color in August.
I love crepe myrtles - you get alot of bang for the buck with them......
Lynne
PRONell Jean
15 years agoI agree with Lynne, lots of summer color with little effort, once they're established.
Mine are usually anchors for a bed, or in a grouping.
Crape Myrtle
Click the Thumbnail to see Crape Myrtle Album.Nell
Here is a link that might be useful: Previous Crape Myrtle Thread
Related Discussions
How to begin working with a Crape Myrtle in a pot
Comments (1)Were this tree mine, I'd up-pot it to a larger-than-necessary pot and leave it alone until spring at which time I'd properly repot it. I also have the experience of digging a landscape Crape Myrtle about this time of year, the week before 100ðF+ temps, and it survived the procedure (with GORGEOUS gold and red foliage come fall). Still, I wouldn't recommend it, but its a testament to how resilient these can be if they're growing strongly....See MoreCrape Myrtle Roots - How do they grow?
Comments (3)While some plants can be said to have deep roots and some shallow, most plants - be they trees or shrubs - grow roots in the top 18-24 inches of soil, out to their drip-line and beyond. How far beyond is a matter of the species, the variety, the conditions under which it is growing - soil, water availability, etc. - but generally, you will get feeder roots out as far again. Some trees do have roots that can run from one side of a lawn to the other, but they are exceptions. I have no specific knowledge of how CM roots grow, but would expect that it was more down than out, within reason - the larger the CM, the more the root spread to be expected. Since CMs grow more up than out, and since their suckering is usually a matter of new shoots coming up from the base of the plant and not from roots many feet away in the lawn, I think, as long as you are planting at a distance of 3-4' way from the retaining wall, you should be fine planting one of the smaller CMs in the bed. One of the large, older CM varieties might be more problematic, but since you say you want a dwarf or small one, I would go for it. If you are REALLY worried about the stability of the retaining wall, then I would avoid all trees or shrubs in the planting bed, and stick with perennials - 99% of them don't have roots that are invasive....See MoreAt what point is Crape Myrtle Pruning, Crape Murder?
Comments (3)What you described about the multiple branches radiating around the trunk, just below where the trunk has been top cut, is a typical growth pattern for such drastic top pruning. All too often growers have already done such pruning to larger crape myrtles when they are shipped to the retail nurseries. Did your area get the recent days' hard freeze around the Easter holiday? If so the CM in question might have a lot of dead wood which needs to be pruned out. If such a freeze happened, watch the tree as its remaining buds leaf out again. Once the tree appears to be fully leafing out enough to look recovered from any winter or freeze damage; totally remove any trunks or branches which fail to releaf. Also from the trunks nearest your house, completely remove all the way to the trunk any branches in the canopy which you can clearly tell will grow to infringe on your roof. Throughout the following growing seasons feed the tree with slow release quality food, and after every week which fails to provide an inch of rain for the shrub, suppliment the tree with that much water. Over the summer let the tree bloom naturally, and do not prune off the resulting seeds in an effort to extend your bloom season to the first freeze of late fall or early winter. By letting the tree bloom by itself and by being patient if it seems to slow down in bloom presentation after the first bloom flush; the tree will be enabled to put forth effort into thickening its branches and developing its proper rooting perportions. After the tree goes dormant, depending on when temps drop low enough for that, consider the space which any branching from the trunks still invade your roof line. cut, at that time, each trunk, all the way down to the root ball, whose canopy clearly will grow to infringe on your roof line. Hopefully when you have accomplished all the above pruning you will end up with the best of either a one or three main leader trunks. Then, in early march of the next year, prune out again all brittle dead wood, brake off the remaining seed pods and their twigs. Then turn your focus onto any remaining radiating branches which are growing just beneath the previously described, chopped off trunks. Preserve only a flexible and clearly healthy branch which grows the most directly upward and toward the direction where you want the trunk to continue growing. Prune away any other branches which are growing around the trunk near the same level of the healthy upward growing branch you selected to retain. To repeat: the one branch you choose to keep growing off the end of such chopped off trunks should be the one out of the ratiating bunches which appeares to be growing most upright, and growing in the right direction for the retained branch to assume the role of developing into a continuation of the trunk. Hopefully each single branch you select to continue the remaining trunks are thick enough to survive the following winter freezes. If not you will need to wrap each and their tunks with cotton insulator wrap prior to each freeze. If the temps are forecast to drop down to a hard freeze than add bubble wrap around the cotton wrap. Just be sure to remove the plastic bubble wrap any time the temps rise back up above 33 F. degrees. The above advised action takes a lot of dilligent effort, so if you do not think the tree is worth the trouble, simply remove it, grind the stump and main roots and purchase a 10 to 15 gallon sized, 25 to 30 feet potential height grower Crape Myrtle which has not also already been such drastically top pruned-down by the grower. With any such new CM tree you plant in the area, make certain to plant it far enough from the house to prevent roof damage, and to also prune train it properly each year just as you first described above....See MoreCrepe Myrtle (Crape Myrtle) with growth problems
Comments (2)I got this same thing on a sweet cherry tree and end up chopping it down, of course it is growing out of the side of the trunk, I decided I will let it live and see if I can treat it so the avoid that nasty soot. I noticed I have alot of lady bugs on my roses and they eat those suckers. My crapes last year got black spot. I guess crapes and roses are strongly related?? I am trying a garlic, water and milk mixture to fight the fungus and bugs (I am guessing they hate the taste of garlic since they never touch any of my garlic plants. When I spray the leaves of my roses it seems to deter the bugs not sure just yet just experimenting. japanesse beetles dont' seem to be a problem, one year they showed themselves but didn't last long and didn't do much damage to anything. some people just use a strong spray of the hose to get rid of the aphids they can't climb back up once they are knocked off. I have alot of acrage and birds galore I am sure they eat the bugs and that is why I seldom have a problem with them, yet. RR...See Morenatal
15 years ago- PRO
Nell Jean
15 years agoThis group of two are still small. I have one to add to the rear of the grouping in the fall.
Click for large view.
My fav crape myrtle use is in groups with many companions because they add vertical elements, midsummer color and winter stuctural interest.
Spring is a bare time for crape myrtles without companions because they are so slow to put on new leaves and bloom.
Nell
Lisa_H OK
15 years agoI have several tree sized crape myrtles all inherited from the previous owner. However, I only seem to have pics of one of them! The others are mostly in a shadier area.
Here this one from June
And here's a blooming shot from Sept. 07
Oh, I did find a pic of one of my others. This one actually gets quite a bit of shade from the silver maple tree the towers to the right of it. Actually, there are two flanking either side of this bed, but you can only see one in bloom. I don't keep these trimmed up as well as I should. I love the limbed up look of the first one. This is also Sept. 07
happyintexas
15 years agoBamateacha
15 years agolynnencfan
15 years ago- PRO
Nell Jean
15 years ago nikkineel
15 years agoMine are small. I just planted them last year but I think they are the dwarf, bush type. Time will tell...
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MiMi
15 years agoEduarda
15 years agoI don't think anyone has mentioned the beautiful Fall color of the leaves, as another plus for these fantastic plants. I have one anchoring the end of our side passage and besides the August color (something so difficult to achieve here!) come Fall the colors of the leaves are lovely. If I had the room I would grow a lot more of these wonderful shrubs/trees. Here's mine back in November 2005. It has grown a lot since then.
Eduarda
Vikki1747
15 years agoSharon,
I have 8 crape myrtles. Just love that tree. All but 2 of mine of in flower beds.Like Cameron, my 2008 garden pictures are suffering from over exposure so I dug up some of last years pictures so I wouldn't bore everyone to death, :-).
If you plan to ever put a flower bed around a creap myrtle beware that any soil placed around the trunk of the tree will promote new growth from the base and you will have suckers like crazy. Believe me, I am the voice of experience on this one. Crepe myrtle is prone to sending up random shoots everywhere, however if not at the base of the tree they are easy to pull up.
Dwarf Lavender Crape Myrtles
This is my largest myrtle. Its a beautiful tree but this time of year drops lots of 'trash' on the deck. I am out there sweeping daily.
VikkiBamateacha
15 years agonikkineel
15 years ago- PRO
Nell Jean
15 years ago 
DYH
15 years ago
DYH