I would not expect the root system of the rather warm natured Crape myrtles to survive in temperatures like that. But why not be patient and see if any of the branches begin to bud? You'll need more than a gallon of water to insure that the whole root system can experience moisture, after being allowed to get bone dry.

"No plants in my yard have caused me more stress over being the last to leaf out than my Crape Myrtles. They scare me to death every year and yet they always come through." Stress?! Gardens are supposed to lead to relaxation, not stress. Crape Myrtles are INCREDIBLY resilient in areas in which they are cold hardy. In a NORMAL year for me they are LATE, LATE, LATE. Coastal waters delay my Springs, then someone flips the switch and it's FULL SUMMER, why bother with "Spring". I will check for buds later but don't expect much, it's been an unusually cold Spring so far in much of the lower Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. At the other end of the season, mine have been in bloom into NOVEMBER! Actually, I think it's hardier to KILL them! Several years ago, we had a weird February with very warm days but also some cold nights. My favorite Crape Myrtle 'Hopi' tree developed a frost crack on the south side of the tree which eventually spit it in half. I chopped it down and replaced it with another 'Hopi'. The original "dead" one completely rejuvenated itself from the roots is was soon a TREE again! I disagree about them not being as beautiful, given pruning, patience, and time you can create the tree you envision.

Gee, thanks for all the replies. My two are very exposed, so I'll wait a bit more. They were huge established plants, so I would think the root system would be quite deep and safe. We'll see. What I did lose is 3 of my 4 potted weeping crepe myrtle bushes in my courtyard. :( They were 4 years ols and should have come through this winter OK. Really shocked about losing those. Half my bedded plumbagos are shooting out, the rest look quite dead. :( This winter just didn't seem that bad to me, but I guess Mother Nature can deal out some surprises. I think a major factor in winter plant loss this year was h all the 100º temps we had (45+ straight days) last summer. A lot of trees/shrubs succumbed before fall even. So many smaller shrubs went into the winter season fairly stressed to begin with. Personally, that what I think got all our plants. The cold just wasn't that bad IMO.

lawn irrigation is usually not good enough for tress or shubs.. you need to water down theu the root mass planted ... take a hand trowel or tablespoon .. and dig a bunch of holes around the gob planted.. and native soil .. AND FIND OUT ABOUT MOISTURE at depth ... water accordingly ... you really shouldnt hav sprayed for one or two bugs.. next time just pic them off ... big city name.. would have helped as compared to zip code.. i wasted about 3 seconds of my life looking that up .. lol .. NC huh??? it was a HUGE transplant ... it can take two or three years to get over the stress of that ... and during that time .. all you do is water properly .. deeply with near drying before the next ... i would go as far as getting the lawn irrigation off it completely ... not may shrubs like wet foliage .. especially at night ... which is when such irrigation usually runs ... its stressed.. not hungry ... no more fert .. maybe ever ... its a shrub..not a child.. it doesnt need to be fed.. nor educated.. etc .. treat it as one ... and as with children.. dont compare yours to the neighbors ... lol ... yours just had more stress than the neighbors .. in a year or 3.. you probably wont be able to tell the difference ... i dont know about that scarred trunk or whatever ... if there are leaves above.. the trunk is still viable.. if those leaves die.. we will cut it out ... i dont understand what hillside creeper is.. nor why it is at the bottom of your plant ... drainage has little to do with puddling water .. its more about how water moves thru your soil.. and away from the plants that dont need it ... a perk test might help you understand how your soil works ... most plants want a drink of water.. and all the rest to go away ... in clay soils.. sometimes that doesnt happen.. and your plant end up standing in water you cant see underground.. yours doesnt look like that .. imo ... and lastly ... these are not annuals or perennials ... we talk of tree or shrub time .. on some level .. your expectations are a bit high for the large transplant ... in a year or 3.. it will probably please you ... but it isnt going to happen this year .. so try to relax.. water it properly ... and if you see any other singular bugs.. just squish or remove them ... ken