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.

get rid of it ... dont mess around with prior owners problems ... now the issue is 'when' .... if you have machines around.. and can do it for free from the guy digging a basement.. do it then ... on the other hand.. if it is blocking a neighbor view.. well plant the rest of the yard.. and in a few years.. when some replacement is of size.. then get rid of it then ... though it will either cost you some very heavy labor.. or some checkbook gardening .... let me put it this way.. were you to buy a house.. and it came with a chic 1930's kitchen.. would you keep it.. just because of the history .. cuz its been there since the house was built??? i submit.. it would be the first renovation... and so should this thing.. be done with it and dont feel guilty .. ken

Hi, JohnnieB. For a long time, gardeners down here were told to trim the crapes back every year in order to promote heavier bloom, and for some reason, this piece of advice (ridiculous as it is) was taken as gospel. It swept the state. You will almost never find a fully grown, unhacked crape myrtle around here. The medians are filled with trees that never get taller than 8 feet or so, and are always out of proportion. Tiny little tops, great big bottoms. Tom MacCubbin says crapes never need pruning, except if one has overgrown a certain spot (having been planted, perhaps, in a spot that wasn't really large enough to accommodate the variety planted.) He recommends leaving them entirely alone, or if you can't stand the little dried "balls" that form after blooming, just cutting those off. Generally speaking, the trees will perform better and they will certainly look better if they are left to grow naturally. I agree with Tom 100%. My grandmother had a lilac colored crape planted in her front yard that was a beautiful tree of about 60' or so. It looked wonderful all year, even in winter, when it takes on a sculptural beauty. And when it bloomed...oh, MY! It was fantastic! You just don't see them like that any more. Marcia

I'm coming to the discussion late but had to weigh in. Imagine if you saw people in the neighborhood making and eating some stuff out of flour and water and a some lesser ingredients. After it was mixed together, they baked it, smeared some butter on it and it was heavenly delicious! They called it bread. When you tried to copy it at home, you didn't know about the yeast so your attempt at making bread was a disaster. How can something one place can be so delicious and somewhere else, inedible? But that, in fact, is what's happening with crape myrtle pruning on a grand scale. While I fully support the annual pruning (which can be done anytime during the dormant season) I notice that upwards of 90 or 95 percent of the pruning is done poorly, or horribly and could rightfully be termed "crape myrtle murder." But I think this term is unfortunate as, instead of persuading the fearful and uninformed to learn a better pruning strategy, it causes them to not prune at all or only very little. If crape myrtle pruning did not produce SOME beneficial effects, it would cease. So even if done poorly, some good effects result: larger, healthier looking leaves... larger bloom clusters... leaves retained longer into the season... longer lasting blooms... arching branches that nearly create a "weeping" form. These effects, to some degree, come even with the worst pruning jobs. If the pruning is done well, one also benefits by having a "tree" whose form is impeccable, whose size is appropriate to its setting, whose trunk structure is a sculptural object in and of itself and whose overall presence is commanding of its space. A well pruned crape is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, we almost never see one. The terms "tree" and "shrub" are ill defined divisions within the woody plants. I use them to explain FORM, not size: A tree is a woody plant with one or more trunks (vertical) in which the bottom branches (horizontal) are absent. A shrub is a woody plant with multiple trunks (vertical) in which the branches (horizontal) are retained so that foliage is continuous to the ground. Most plants that we call trees, if left to grow in the middle of a sunny field and never pruned, would qualify as shrubs. Plants that we think of as "shrubs" sometimes lose their bottom branches and turn into "trees." It's pretty easy to see that the area between "trees" and "shrubs" contains a lot of "grey." What is the nature of a crape myrtle left to its own devices? It would definitely be a shrub... a very large shrub as crapes can climb to the 40' height range. At such a size, it's spread would likely be 25' or so. It begins to become obvious that if we let woody plants only grow "naturally" we would be barely be able to contain any of them in our yards. So like the maples and oaks, we frequently limb up crape myrtles and other large shrubs by removing their lower branches. Even those who tend to be against altering plants via pruning, are almost universally content to turn crape myrtles into "trees." The question becomes, TO WHAT HEIGHT should crape myrtles be limbed up? The bottom of a tree canopy forms a "ceiling." I suggest that the answer is contained in the idea that plants are serving the needs of humans. When has a person ever found it desirable to have a ceiling dragging on their hair or smacking them in the face? Ceilings created by plants should clear the human head. That means that they will be no lower than 7' at the extreme. But like ceilings in houses, often higher "feels" better than lower so there is rarely an objection to limbing up further. (I'm speaking of how the SPACE seems... not the object within the space.) Look around at the crape myrtles you see pruned... or "murdered." How many of them are cut to a height of only four to six feet? This means that all the branching will occur not above one's head, but directly in one's face. Instead of being a ceiling to walk under, crapes become visual and physical obstructions. (Scroll up to look, again, at the photo posted by pabrocb. This is a very typical pruning.) While you're looking, also take a good look at the trunk structure. (pabrocb, I'm not trying to pick on your crape, I just need a photo to use and yours is already here and it works. But it would be one of thousands.) There is predominantly one main vertical trunk. Two smaller trunks break off to the right and left, defining the overall "V" shape of the plant, within which are a couple more minor "whips." The trunk system viewed from above might look like half an asterisk. For a moment, let's imagine what a handsome bouquet of flowers in a crystal vase looks like. Are the stems organized... or crossing chaotically from any direction? Are they of disparate sizes... or similar? Are they uniform of texture... or with a patchwork of random leaves attached at any point? When viewed from above, are they full (3-dimensionally)... or is their form like that partial asterisk? Take a quick look at a vase of flowers to see why it has appeal. I suggest that putting to use some of the principles employed in creating the vase of flowers when pruning a crape, can produce a plant with statesman-like stature... rather than one that appears to have been for some time homeless. I hunted Google images for an example of a crape myrtle pruned in the way I'm describing, but couldn't find even one ideal example. There are runners up but nothing on the money. I'm attaching a sketch that gives an idea of what I suggest makes a useful and beautiful crape. Nowhere in my discussion am I claiming that a crape myrtle grown in the tree form and left unpruned (as in Kate's example directly above) is undesirable, ugly or in some way without merit. They make beautiful, "natural" looking trees. But... there are many times that one does not want the 20 or 30-foot height... or the smaller, more sparse foliage, or the upright habit or the thinner, more sparse flowering, etc., etc. In these cases, annual pruning CAN turn a crape myrtle into a very useful and beautiful, "right sized" plant. When done properly, even the leafless winter form--beheaded or not--can be an outstanding sight. Also, there is another feature of annually pruned crapes that develops over time if one is consistent in their pruning... that is the formation of swollen, "paddle"-like woody structures at the tips of the trunks. These are hard to describe to one who has never seen them. They become large and let the crape take on a persona reminiscent of a strange and exotic undersea creature... or an unusual artistic sculpture. At least, they are fascinating and interesting conversation pieces. To those who ARE murdering their crapes, you might consider making a few changes to your pruning methods so here's a few tips: If the trunk structure is not good (like a full bouquet) there is nothing you can do but start over. However, you should know if you've ever cut down an undesirable weed sapling in an attempt to get rid of it, it will grow back (with more trunks) in very short order. I wouldn't hesitate to cut a crape back to about 18" right before the spring growing season. It will regrow with many more trunks. (This process is called 'rejuvenation.') Each year evaluate it's structure and if there are not enough trunks, cut it back to half its height. Eventually, there will be enough where you want them. Remove any trunks that start on one side and cross over through the center to the other side. They should all radiate in an outward direction from the center in order to appear organized. After much looking, I consider the ideal "V" shape spread to be about 45*. Narrower than that, crapes just don't look like they have as much money in their pocket. Wider than that, the trunks start appearing or becoming obstructions to use of the space they're in... so it depends on the setting. So I remove any trunks or cut them back so that only those within this imagined cone remain. Trunks are more vertical than 45*; branches are more horizontal than 45*. When doing the annual dormant season pruning, remove all branches and let only trunks remain. In general, cut back the trunk length to one half of the recent year's growth. It will be a mistake to leave it all as it terminates in weak, thin growth of not uniform height. Trimming it back by half allows growth to the overall height of the tree, helps it to keep an organized appearing presence and keeps the trunks stout and strong relative to the weight and burden of the coming growing season. (The trunks also need to "branch" a little on their up in order that the cone shape continues to be full of trunks as it widens out.) Cut all trunks straight across the top. If they are cut at varying heights they do not look good. It is much more bother to create a "domed" appearance and it does not look good either. Straight is easiest and best. As, and after the tree branches out, completely remove all branches that occur below half the height of the tree. While the new branches are just buds or soft growth, this can be done very quickly with the wipe of a gloved hand. Yesterday, I cleaned up a small crape (about 6' ht.) for my mom and it took about 20 minutes. Almost all of the small, twiggy branches can be knocked off with any weighty implement. Strike downward (but not actually scraping off bark) alongside the trunk and they will just quickly pop off. I usually do this with my closed hand pruners, but a machete or even a heavy screwdriver will work. Over a few years, a crape will work it's way upward so that you are cutting the main trunks at the final height of 8' above the ground. This is what I would consider the minimum. It works out pretty well for having the canopy clear a person's head. And it's a cutting height that one can do while standing on the ground... with a good set of loppers. A 5' height person would need a small step-stool to do this job. Depending on the circumstances of the setting, a higher final trunk cutting height might be desired. I know there are plenty of people who will always prefer a "natural" look and will never want to grow a crape as I describe. I'm not trying to convince them to change. But if one likes the features and benefits that annual pruning of crapes provides, I hope they consider looking "beyond leaves and flowers" and examine how much more improved a crape can be if its structure is properly shaped and organized and given the attention it deserves. Then any common crape can become an outstanding specimen. Hopefully, soon, the homicide rate will begin to fall. I realize, also, that my method is contrary to the majority of advice given about maintaining crapes: "Let 3 or 4 main trunks remain." "Cut at 6' height." "Every so often, remove old trunks and let them be replaced with new ones." This is pat horticultural shrub maintenance advice with no regard to the design aspect or purpose a plant serves. Even though I have a degree in horticulture, I've been happily disregarding this advice for decades.