Planting under Crepe Myrtle question?
fnboyd
16 years ago
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megajas
16 years agofnboyd
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Crepe Myrtle Question with picture
Comments (2)The trunks all come from the same root stump, but yes, they look really close together. I'm hoping some new branches will grow off of those that are already there and branch outward, evening out the tree but.... the darn thing isn't growing! Im not sure what exactly was in the soil that the CM came in, but it seemed quite sandy and really well drained, and it was nice and rich and black. Most of it fell away from the rootball when I took it out. My soil is pretty heavy clay but I did mix some compost in with the clay before I backfilled....See MoreCrepe Myrtle Question
Comments (14)I have a double row of crape myrtles planted across my property, Tontos. Last spring there was about a foot or more die back in the tops of all of them. They have been in for seven years. This was the first time there has been die back. Tontos are a shrub variety growing about 8-12 feet depending on how far south you are. The Tuscaroras and Natchez row did not have the die back. These are the tree types. I believe the reason had nothing to do with the variety, but rather lack of moisture the previous fall of 2005 and drought in the early part of 2006. The tontos are planted on a ridge which tends to dry out more than the ones on the side of my property. I beieve there is no typical winter die back. I am farther north than you are and other than that caused by the drought, I have had no winter die back in seven years. I have 175 crape myrtles on my property. I simply cut out the winter die back. At first, I decided to leave it, thinking the newer, lower growth would hide the die back, but decided that the die would be unsightly and could leave a way for insects and disease to attack the crape myrtles. One last thought, have you given them time to completely come out yet, we have had unusual cold weather at times this year. I have no sign of life on mine. Last year they were coming out about now. Trees and shrubs will start to green up lower on the stems before greening up at the tops. Of course, you can snap or thumb nail scrap the stems to see if there is any green....See MoreGroundcover under crepe myrtles
Comments (5)like that name!! ourlittleeden!! I have some star sedum (yellow flowers) and some ajuga (purple/blue flowers)planted under some of mine and some irises also...they are all blooming right now and it looks great... sort of distracts from the naked branches of the crape myrtles right now also. They don't bloom always just in early spring but the foliage is also very healthy and nice and contrasting when they crape myrtles are blooming and in all their glory....See MoreNeed Advice on Newly Planted Crepe Myrtle Tree
Comments (16)I would recommend removing one of the branches, but before giving a definitive answer I would like to know what type of crape myrtle you have. It should have come with a tag. Also, a picture of the whole tree so I can get a better perspective. If its a shrub and you want a unwieldy shrub, then let it be, but if it is situated in a prominent location in your landscape, then I would train it by pruning. A tree type crape can have only one main stem and look great in certain locations, I have 175 crape myrtles and most have 3-5 main stems, but I do have one stem ones here and there. Most of the shrubs ones have close to 5 stems and the tree types have 3. All of them were trained starting in 2000 and today I do minimum pruning....See MoreDYH
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