Crape Murder

16 years ago

I think I have seen more 'Crape Myrtle Abuse' this year than any other. I thought people were finally realizing that heavy handed pruning ruins their form. It's sad to see so many messed up around town (Arlington). :(

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ocdgardener
Original Author

16 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Here's what the experts say:

RICKY THOMPSON-
Too many gardeners in east Texas perform "Crepe Murder," which is cutting crepe myrtles back to main trunks every fall. This causes the plant to have fewer blossoms in the spring, makes a strange looking if not downright ugly plant, and causes spindly new growth each spring. Like other trees, crepe myrtles should be pruned only by selectively cutting out whole branches to maintain the shape of the plant. If a plant is too big for the space, take it up and plant a more appropriate size.

As for trees, no tree should be "topped," which is cutting back major limbs. Trees don't recover from this radical procedure and they never bush back out attractively. As with crepe myrtles, trees should be pruned by selectively cutting out limbs back to a major node. Trees should only be pruned to maintain shape (not size), to remove dead or diseased wood, or to keep limbs from contacting structures.

LINDA C ASKEY - Southern Gardens

ALIBIS FOR CREPE MURDER
My neighbors pruned theirs.
Improper pruning is a copycat crime. Each tree has a different form, and its role varies from one landscape to the next. Therefore, you need to figure out why you are pruning before you cut a branch.
It's getting too big.
If your tree is too tall, then you have the wrong one. Pruning to reduce its height will only create a maintenance battle that you will never win.

Fortunately, even large crepe myrtles can be transplanted with success. Replace yours with a different kind of plant or a shorter selection of crepe myrtle. Acoma, Catawba, Cherokee, Comanche, Hopi, and Sioux are a few of the semidwarf forms that reach 8 to 14 feet in height in about 10 years. If you want a shrub, try Centennial, Victor, Prairie Lace, or Hope; these grow 3 to 4 feet tall. Natchez, Muskogee, Fantasy, Dallas Red, Byers Wonderful White, Watermelon Red, and Biloxi all grow at least 20 feet, so plant them where their height will be an asset.

If I don't prune my tree, it won't bloom.
Pruning will not inspire flowering; it will just bring the flowers down to where you can see them. Often, trees that fail to bloom are growing under too much shade, so move them to the sun.

It looks scraggly.
Crepe myrtles naturally send up new shoots called suckers from their base. While multitrunk trees are handsome, too many trunks can appear unkempt. Use hand clippers to cut off all unwanted suckers at the surface of the soil. Now is a good time.

I'm just shaping it up.
Don't cut to see over them, cut to see through them. Remove limbs from the inside of the tree, especially limbs that cross or hang so low that they hit you in the face. Remove entire limbs flush with the trunk as shown in Order in the Cut box. If you leave a stub, four or five new shoots will grow in place of the one you removed.

MAKING REPARATIONS
If your tree has been damaged by improper pruning, you can restore it. Cuts on young limbs (2 inches or less in diameter) can be repaired as shown in Reform School box. But larger limbs that have been lopped off or repeatedly pruned so that they have developed a knuckle need to be removed entirely. Trees that have been cut back to trunks 4 or 5 inches in diameter will never look natural again. These need to be cut flush to the ground so new trunks can be trained to replace the old.

CLEMSON EXTENSION:
The practice of chopping off the tops of crape myrtle has become very commonplace. Many people believe that it is required to promote flowering; some prune because the plant is too large for the space provided; others see their neighbors doing it and feel the need to follow suit. There are some instances in which heavy pruning is necessary, but light pruning is usually all that is needed.

ELLEN BROWN:

The number one most common reason Crepe Myrtles fail to bloom is improper pruning techniques (or a lack of pruning altogether). Crepe Myrtles bloom on the current season's growth. If they are pruned too late, all the new wood is removed and the flower buds never develop. Pruning should be done only after the tree flowers. You said your tree is very large so it may be older. Declining Crepe Myrtles can be revived by pruning. In the dormant season, some of the extraneous branches are cleaned up and removed, opening the interior of the plant to more sunlight and air circulation. Be careful not to commit "crepe murder." Just cut the branches to enhance the natural, overall appearance of the tree, don't whack them all back to one height.

Each Saturday morning after football season ends, legions of bored men armed with saws and loppers emerge from their garages to commit "crepe murder." They needlessly reduce majestic crepe myrtles to ugly stumps-in many cases, ruining them forever.

STEVE BENDER - Southern Living
STOP DON'T CHOP
In South Carolina, the Spartanburg Men's Garden Club is working to end the slaughter. Last year, one of its members, Henry Pittman, sent me a copy of the club's excellent brochure, "Crape Myrtles: Four Seasons of Beauty" (yes, I know-they spell it with an "a"). It covers all aspects of selecting, growing, and pruning crepe myrtles. We thought so highly of its advice that we visited Spartanburg to see firsthand what they were talking about so we could tell you.

The objectives of pruning a crepe myrtle are to maintain its natural sculptural form, produce strong branches that hold flowers upright, and open up its center to reveal the smooth, multitoned bark that forms on mature trunks and branches.

Cutting it back to thick stubs each year makes these goals impossible. A graceful tree quickly becomes a fencepost or hat rack. Pretty bark never appears. Each beheaded trunk grows a Medusa-like tangle of spindly whips too weak to hold up flowers.

Decatur's annual spring sacrifice: improper crepe myrtle pruning
03/08/2006
Decatur Daily, The
Martin Berket
Return to Top
**Jeff Sibley, Alumni associate professor of horticulture at AU, is a key source for this story.**

Hoyt Williamson works at Limestone Correctional Facility, but the shocking truth is he sees more murderers running free in Decatur.

That's right.

Perfectly respectable, upstanding members of the community, maybe your neighbor, committing murder.

Crepe murder, that is.

The carnage is especially tragic in a city that has had aspirations of being "the crepe myrtle capital of the world." Late educator Frank Philpot envisioned the whole city splashed in crepe color all summer, and the annual fall sale he organized for some 15 years put more than 100,000 plants into the community.

Crepe murder is a tongue-in-cheek term among horticulturists and savvy gardeners for the severe annual decapitation of crepe myrtles perpetrated in late winter by more than a few innocent home gardeners and landscapers.

The result not only robs these tall bushes of their graceful form but also stimulates the growth of suckers, which can cause crowding and pest problems near the resulting stumps.

"It's a really knurly kind of affect," said Williamson, who teaches horticulture at the prison for Calhoun Community College. "People commonly do it because it's easy to do. What typically happens is some varieties are so vigorous, you'll wind up with blooms so heavy and stems real long that don't have a lot of support at the crotch angle off the main trunk and they wind up breaking off."

A better practice, Williamson said, is to have a range of about three feet within which you keep your crepe myrtles. If you want a 6-foot shrub, cut it to 3 feet the first year, then at 4 feet the next year, then 5 feet the next and then back to 3 feet the following year, and following the same pattern, he said.

"By cutting back at various places, you end up invigorating the tree and giving it more strength," Williamson said. "What we find is if we don't do some pruning on them, you tend to get to the point where you get a very weak, spindly plant and a small amount of new growth that translates into not nearly as many blooms. By pruning to maintain size, we actually will improve the blooming of them."

An even better way to control height, said Jeff Sibley, alumni professor at Auburn University, is to pick a variety that grows at the height you want.

There are hundreds of varieties, he said. Varieties such as Natchez, Muskogee, Fantasy, Dallas Red, Byers, Wonderful White, Watermelon Red and Biloxie grow at least 20 feet, growers say. Acoma, Catawba, Cherokee, Comanche, Hopi and Sioux reach 8 to 14 feet. Centennial, Victor, Prairie Lace or Hope grow to 3 or 4 feet.

Whacking a 20- to 30-foot tree back to 3-foot trunks ignores some of the plant's most appealing aspects, such as shape and peeling bark, Sibley said. For a municipality, hard pruning may be necessary for safety reasons along a right of way. But it also can lead to weak limbs and health problems that cut short the plant's life.

Crepe myrtles bloom on new wood, Sibley said. By pruning limbs no smaller than a pencil, the plant stays healthy and still puts out shoots that produce lots of blooms.

To trim into a tree form, horticulturists advise, remove limbs from inside the tree that cross or hang so low they hit you in the face. Remove the entire limb flush with the trunk. If you leave a stub, new shoots will grow.

++++++++++++

And on and on....

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Comments (35)

debndal
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm seeing the same thing in far NW Dallas County. It's a shame - but I understand why it happens. I've had several of my crapes grow far taller than what was listed on the tag when I bought them. I've moved or removed them, but it's pretty disconcerting to grow one for several years only to find out it's going to get too big for where it is. Who wants to start all over again!? Wish those tags were more accurate!
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
When I see this done in public places, or on private yards in neighborhoods, I just try to think of it as more of a formal garden procedure such as in a Japanese garden where everything is pruned and shaped in a very precise and stately manner. Plus I guess the landscapers want it to appear they are doing their job as sometimes there are dead branches and old flower stems showing and it takes a while for the new foliage to overtake them.

I once visited a large public garden, I think it was in the DFW area, but it could have been in Oregon. Anyway among other wonderful things there was a beautiful Japanese garden where everything was neatly trimmed and shaped. Right next to it was an area with the same plants, but they had been left to grow in their natural shapes. It was hard to say which was the most beautiful as each had their special charm.

I like the natural graceful shapes of branches to be left alone, but it seems there are styles of gardening for everybody.

Happy gardening!
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Hmmmm. Are you saying that the nursery has already topped the trees? That sort of pruning is not 'fixable', but perhaps that's not what they did. Can you let us see a picture of one of the victims? I don't like the words: "cut back" when it comes to crapemyrtles, I have to admit. Are you ordering these plants sight unseen? I feel very strongly that crapemyrtles should never be purchased that way. So much of their beauty, in my opinion, is created by a unique structure....what I call 'good bones'. You should hand pick the ones you think will grow up to be beauties. They should be a structural showpiece in the winter, too. Crapemyrtles do not need to be pruned at all. Removing their seed pods is a waste of time as the new growth will grow around the flower stems come spring. The pods and flower stems will simply fall off. Some simple detail pruning (crossing branches, inward growing branches, and similar) should be done only to enhance the physical beauty of this tree. What kind(s) are you ordering?
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Hey Txmom, I will certainly be willing to look at pictures and see if they allow me to tell you more, but, with what you have already told us, I think I have a pretty good idea of what you are working with. You have three basic choices (or four if you add "do nothing"). The best outcome for the existing crape myrtles would likely result if you waited until late-winter/early-spring next year and cut the entire crape myrtle down to ground level. When you do that, you'll get tons of root suckers popping up mostly right around the stumps. You will need to select the ones you want to keep (that will become the new trunks) and remove the others. This process will be quite a bit of work, because you'll need to remove the extra suckers on a regular basis for at least a few years. After the new trunks start growing to a decent size, you'll need to maintain their height with reduction/drop-crotch pruning. Another possible factor with this method is that many cultivars will produce very floppy new growth and you may have to stake/tie the trunks until they get sufficient caliper to stand on their own. Another solution, which would probably be less work for you both in the short and long run, is to kill the old crape myrtles and replace them with smaller types. If you decide to go with this method, we can discuss the best way to do it. You won't have to worry about all that sucker removal or the long-term continual pruning to try to keep the crapes in check. A third solution, which is probably my least favorite is to try to reduce the number of shoots coming from around the cut on each topped trunk. Eventually, you might get a decent look by doing this and letting time take its course, but the trees wouldn't really look all that good for at least a few years. Also, you'll have the work of continually keeping the new shoots thinned out for a while, possibly having to stake/tie some of the shoots, and having to figure out a way to keep them trimmed to an acceptable size even though they will already be pretty large. I'd vote for doing one of the first two options, but post some pictures if you have them and let us know what option appeals most to you.
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Lavender or purple will likely be the color of the next CM we put in our yard. I prefer purple, mainly because it should give a more appealing contrast to the blue of the vitex we envision planting next to it. I can understand the interest in pruning to maintain a certain "fill" of foliage and bloom in a certain space. What I don't understand is how that awful, whacked look can be tolerated, even for a moment, while awaiting the return of the next season's growth in that desired look. Not meaning to sound all self-righteous here...it's just my gardening style, to use plants that are suited for the space available to them, instead of filling a space with a plant that has to be pruned to hideous (my opinion) to keep the plant within bounds, even if the view of the whacked look is only temporary. If I put, say, a CM variety with a mature size of 15 feet in a 5-foot space, that would just be too much work for me to keep the plant in bounds every year. I would want a plant with a mature size that fills the 5-foot space. I'm not a crape myrtle expert. But experience and intuition tell me (correctly I believe) a couple of things about the "radical annual pruning" of CMs (just my alternative term for the "murder"): (1) It weakens the plants overall; (2) It possibly deprives the plants and visiting wildlife of mutually beneficial, balanced and natural interaction, and (3) While enabling more concentrated bloom and dense top-growth, it raises risk of losing what might be preferred (a more appealing resultant appearance, that is) to storms or pests because of the naturally weaker new growth. My memory is always "dumping," but I believe I remember seeing some summer storm damage to CMs that were whacked the year before. So all the CMs had for foliage and bloom were the short, weak new branches all clustered together. Maybe I just saw some photos of that damage. Anyway, the damage made them look as if they had never leafed-out and bloomed at all, because all the new growth was torn and bent down, if not torn completely off. Those images, more than any others, swayed me away forever from the "murder" manner of pruning.
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lou_spicewood_tx
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm seeing a lot of it too. It baffles me that people continue to do this because of bad info being thrown around by idiots. If anyone have been to Dallas Arboretum, that's the WAY to grow them.
carrie751
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I wish they would just remember that crape myrtle is a TREE, and cannot be made into a SHRUB.
sylviatexas1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It seems like I've seen more of it this year, too.

odd...

because not only has there been a lot of info disbursed about the foolishness of it, but you'd think a difficult economy would make the owners of commercial properties become more conservative about the amount of money they shell out to butchers to ruin their landscape trees...
ocdgardener
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
UGH! I just passed a house TODAY, after I sent this message, that has (had) a row of beautiful crapes that have been growing beautifully for at least 15 years --- that I've seen. ----CHOPPED--- All that remains are thick stubs. I'm so frustrated --- This year they will have those awful straight branches that look like porcupines --- MAN --- what is going on!!!! Stop the Madness!!!
mommyfox
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh man - I once lived in a duplex with a massive crepe myrtle out front that was technically on my side, though it was certainly the focal point of the landscaping for both sides. One day I came out to find it CHOPPED. My neighbor had just had some guys trim up her bushes, and she seemed pleased with herself when I asked her (trying to stay calm and friendly) if she'd had them do that. "Oh yes!" she cheerfully answered, oblivious to my foaming at the mouth. "It'll bloom so nicely next year!"

I am so proud that I did not strangle her.
sylviatexas1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Many years ago, I think it was the late 70's, before I was a garden nut, I bought 4 crepe myrtles & 3 Queen Elizabeth roses & planted them in the strip between the sidewalk & the street (a radical thing to do at the time!) at the house where I lived.

I used to go by that house & smile to see my plants doing well.

Even after the roses (grafted no doubt) disappeared, I smiled at the crepes.

until last year, when someone cut them down to 4'high *trunks*.

don't plan on going by there again, can't bear to see the destruction.

& they were carefree, flowering *trees*, freebie for the homeowner, *assets* to the property.

hope he needs to sell & those stubs cost him a chunk of equity.
greenthumbfish
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yep, I think mine are the only ones I've seen that haven't been chopped! A landscaper buddy told me only prune branches smaller than your little pinky. That sound right to y'all?
calverttx
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
When it comes to pruning remember the ones that come on straight up and resemble a fishing pole should be removed. These are water sprouts and will never amount to much.
PKponder TX Z7B
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I drove past my old house in The Colony this week and was disheartened to see the 15 foot Natchez murdered. They also completely took out the 30 foot bald cypress that shaded the west facing back yard so well. Ah, I've got to stop driving by that house.

Pam
bossjim1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
May I be the fly in the ointment? There are some people who prefer the natural form of the Crape Myrtle, while there are people, myself included, who prefer the large heavy blooms, only achieved by pruning. In our town there are some very old Crapes, with trunks 12" in diameter or more. They are attractive trees, but their bloom is so small and scant that you can barely see them. It's as if they just get a slight pink hue for a short time each summer. If you prefer this 'natural form', then by all means, allow yours to grow this way, but no need to get exasperated at people who prefer the huge blooms of a pruned Crape Myrtle.
Jim
cactus184
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
too add my two cents Crape Myrtles need good air circulation ,they are prone to fungal problems.so a pruning yearly is advised.
sylviatexas1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Pruning for air circulation is achieved by thinning out the interior branches & the branches that cross & rub against each other (I do it, or at least check to see if it needs to be done, every year), not by amputating limbs.

If your crepes aren't blooming well, you might check to be sure the tree isn't buried too deeply in the ground.

Even if it was planted at the right depth initially (with the root flare exposed), the addition of mulch & compost sometimes raises the level of the soil, putting the tree under stress.
beachplant
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, but the school next door planted a row of them last year. They were just getting full and beautiful. Starting to bud out. Walked the dogs past & the poor things have been chopped to about 4' tall, shorter than me! They look terrible! They spent a fortune to put in HUGE crapes-they were at least 10' tall & then the very next year whacked them all to heck. They were absolutely fabulous last year with tons of flowers.
Tally HO!
debndal
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Some years crapes bloom great - some years not so great. Another thing to do if the blooms are puny over time is to give the tree a shot of superphosphate in late winter/early spring - which will aid in flower production. Most trees are planted in grass, and grass ferts are mostly high on nitrogen - not so high in phosphate. It has worked for me anyway, so it's always worth a try, and far batter than the "alternative".
denisew
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I can't tell you how much this irks me to see crape myrtles trimmed so harshly. My garden club recently had a booth at the city's Arbor Day celebration and we had copies of an article by Greg Grant - available on the internet - about crape murder. A man walked up and took one of the articles and then turned around and told us that he actually likes the look of the way they are pruned back to the big trunks. We tried to explain how bad this is for the crape myrtles, but he insisted that by pruning them back to the trunks, "they look like trees." I really wanted to say, "Well, stupid, they are trees and if you leave them alone and allow they to grow properly, they will look like real trees." I mean, how many of us in our right minds would want to top any tree like people do to the crape myrtles?! What is it going to take before people realize that just because they see some dummy pruning crape myrtles like that, doesn't mean it is the right thing to do. As many of our mothers told us, "If your friend jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?"
bossjim1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I do understand your point of view, but from driving around Houston and the surrounding area, I would say my point of view is the most prevalent. We're not all dummies, we actually prefer them that way. It would be interesting to know if you also get upset when you see a pear tree that has been espaliered, or a juniper that is trimmed in a spiral, or an Indian Hawthorn that is trained into a standard, or a tomato growing out of the bottom of a five gallon bucket? This is what keeps gardening interesting, being able to grow your plants the way want.
Jim
rozannadanna
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Whoever said that large untrimmed bushes have small flowers is mistaken. This Crep has a trunk that I cannot put my arms around and is much taller than my house and it blooms profusely with large flowers
PKponder TX Z7B
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Jim,
You make a valid point, and I respect it. I love the trunk and it's peeling bark and variations in color which I see more of during dormancy. You have to admit that the dormant silhouette looks nicer on a natural tree. We do all have our own preferences though.

Pam
User
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have wondered if the excessive trimming has anything to do with the bugs that are now infesting crepe myrtles. Mine are untrimmed and have no sign of those bugs. Could be my area too though.
sylviatexas1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I don't like to see living things thwarted or manipulated;
I like to see them at their natural, healthy best.

Espaliered & pollarded trees make me flinch;
topiary & bonsai not only look funny to me, they make me wonder why someone spent all that time doing it;
I never saw an Indian hawthorne made into a tree standard, but I don't like the looks of tree roses (long skinny legs with a mop on the top);
& a plant growing "upside down" looks odd but doesn't bother me.

In a similar vein, it seems to me that roses don't want to be blue, daylilies don't want to be pink, & animals don't want to be white.

I like red roses, orange daylilies, tabby cats, golden tigers, & wolf-colored dogs.

They're beautiful the way nature made them, & the ones that have been made into something else for the amusement of human beings are usually much less healthy & much less robust.

I do recognize that some genetic manipulation arose out of need (herding dogs, for instance), but living things deserve admiration for their beauty just the way they are.
beachplant
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have enough trees to prune without bothering the crapes. Between the hackberries, pecan and oleander trying to take over the world and the electrical lines I'm always trimming! And I'm too lazy/busy/uncaring to train anything, just ask my dogs.
Tally HO!
srburk
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I love crapes. And hate topped ones. I think it looks unnatural and odd for there to be a stick with a ponytail of branches out of the top. Growing up, we had the most beautiful white one...we only pruned crossing or low branches...and spent buds. It had huge flowers....and it looked like summer snow when they fell...had a scent, too, if I remember correctly.

To each his own, I suppose, but I cringe when they are topped and wonder why they didn't just plant a shorter plant that blooms instead.
sylviatexas1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
funny story:

One summer day when I was at the vet clinic, I realized the tech & the receptionist were sort of...
looking at me.

Finally the receptionist said,
"Sylvia, do you have a lot of bird feeders out?"

"Nah, just one, a nice big one."

"uh. well. There's bird doodie in your hair."

It was white crepe myrtle blossoms that had shaken off the tree when I walked by!
lacey_2007
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I had to commit Crepe Murder this year, and it was b/c of the bugs. It had become infested w/lace bugs and I couldn't get rid of the infestation. I tried several different methods, but nothing worked. The tree looked horrible, so I trimmed it way back and it looks really good now. The new growth looks very healthy and hopefully I can keep them that way!
I'm guilty, but I had no other choice... :(
Ann_in_Houston
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Jim, if you top your crapes out of taste, then I will defer to the fact that they are your trees. However, I do not think most of the hard-pruned ones are done out of taste. I think most of them are done as part of the 'package' of hired landscaping. The homeowner defers to the yard groomers because they are the 'professionals'. That and the fact that highway medians are not usually groomed to anyone's taste. I think it is just done that way because the person with the chopper was told it is supposed to be that way, so they do it, without questioning. That is when it bugs the crap out of me.
burntplants
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I was always told that because they were the "lilac of the South" that some idiot had started to prune them like real lilacs up North.

Sawing off the tops of the trees results in death from fungal infection eventually--at least it always does in Houston.

Sad thing is, a tree can have numerous smart owners and trimmers for decades, and all it takes is one helpful neighbor, new idiot owner, or yard crew with a saw, and the tree is ruined forever.
swc_grow
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have 2 beautiful crape myrtle in my front yard that are about 4 years old and about 8 feet tall. Recently, my lawn care people chopped off their heads to about 4 feet tall out of the blue and without my permission. I am heart-broken over it. My beautiful trees are now just ugly bare sticks that I have to see everytime I come home.
I have 3 questions for the forum. 1) Will they ever grow back to their natural beautiful shape once they had their heads chopped off? 2) Are there anything I can do to improve their appearance? Ocdgardner 8 mentioned that young branched can be repair/restore, where can I find information on the reparation process? 3) If I have them cut down to the ground, how long will it take for them to grow back with main branches that are 2 inches in diameter and about 8 feet tall?
bjb817
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
First off, sorry to hear about your situation!

I don't profess to be an expert on Crepes, but here's what I'd do:

1-Fire your landscaper and find a more knowledgeable one.

2-Cut the stubs back to the ground and start over.

Someone stop me if I'm wrong, but once crepe murder is committed, they won't go back to their natural form. If you cut the stubs to the ground, new suckers will come up and you get to start from scratch.

I can't say how long it will take for them to regain their former size, probably 4-5 years I'd guess?
cynthianovak
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
ocd...I think it's the landscaping / lawn mowing crews. I've seen them in the myrtles on Davis street.

I have a few...of course. I used to thin out the branches that were narrower than a pencil, last year I didn't get around to it, and this year I forgot. But, the trees look like trees with several main branches. I find the trunks on myrtles to be so elegant in the winter that I actually like when a branch crosses another and unites. Only have one that will do that, but looking forward to it.

c
Taralyn
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Okay. I admit it. I did crape murder this year. The tree was planted next to the house, and was 5 years old and 12 foot when I inherited it. I faithfully pruned suckers and watched for overhang for the last 4 years - but grew increasingly frustrated with my next door crossvine climbing the tree, no matter how closely I watched and pulled tendrils. A month ago, I went out to assess the damage, and despite pruning and pulling, could not get the cursed vine out of the tree - and the top of the tree was all little tiny branches, so in a wild moment I grabbed the big shears and - yes - lopped off all the branches to 8 feet from about 12-13 feet, eliminating that pesky crossvine problem. I barely held myself back from cutting the crossvine back to the ground, but a cold front kept me under control. Will I do it next year? No - but now my crape looks like everyone else's in the neighborhood, I was the lone holdout..... it should never have been planted that close to the house, but I love the blooms too much to completely take it out....

terry
beachplant
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Moms giant crape went over in Ike. It was huge and had never been pruned. Bloomed very heavily most of the year and provided great shade.

I went to a talk at the home show this weekend with a tree expert. He was showing slides from China and their levees (to protect from typhoons) and there were a lot of crape myrtles planted. Everyone had been murdered. So it's a world-wide thing.
Tally HO!!
hitexplanter
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If someone chooses to chop and shape a crape for a necassary reason than I respect the need. It is the mis-information and ignorance of the chopping of crapes that as a horticulturist is irksome to me. There are multiple reasons why you shouldn't chop crapes and only a few for chopping your crapes. I still see most of this overdone and misunderstood practice done from ignorance instead of for sound horticultural needs.
You can't stop a practice by being mad about and keeping it to yourself. This is why there has been so much written about it over the last several years to inform and dispel the myths of this practice. Yes it is a world-wide practice and I accept that I can only change by kindly informing folks why it is not a sound practice and to accept that after that it is there choice to do as they feel is right for them. Ignorance of the laws of nature doesn't put you in jail. Ignorance of the laws of man well that can get you 5-10.
Just my two-pennies worth Happy Growing Y'all David

Crape Murder

ocdgardenerOriginal Author

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