What a beautiful crepe myrtle in the growing! I am no pro, but have a few myself. Last winter many of us in the east lost branches on our trees.

I don't see how you can stop the growth from the second branch but a PRO will come along soon to tell you definitively. Your current blooming branch appears to be well established and I think it will yield a nice shaped tree. These trees take time to grow btw, to the desired 20 feet. In my area of 7A, I'd say about nine to ten years to get that tall.

It would help if we had a general idea of where you were located on earth.

Under IDEAL circumstances, it takes about THREE YEARS for most any shrub to become established. You want instant gratification and it ain't gonna happen. You need to work on your yard plans and move beyond the Crape Myrtle. It would help to know how much SUN your Crape is getting..., they are full sun and HEAT lovers. From your picture, it looks like the sun is dappled. Do they get a lot of full sun? Last year was a BAD winter in many sections of the country (second in a row), but not sure if that was your problem because we don't know your general climate zone. I have Dynamites in a Zone 7a climate. It did suffer some but again..., it was a BAD winter. Positioning is everything, I have one 'DWARF' Hopi (it is somewhat closer to the house)..., don't know if it was the protection of the house, the variety or, even its lack of exposure to road SALT (my Dynamites had more of that), but the Hopi had NO dieback and is rapidly becoming a TREE. My Dynamites have since come back strongly, but are more a shrub at this point. I am trying to encourage ALL of them to be standards, so I cut off all lower growth. I like a multi-branched tree/shrub form best. If that is what you want, I would cut out the lower growth you have on your Dynamite and encourage top growth. Also, I would remove the grass and other weeds growing around the Crape (to the drip line), then apply some mulch (just do not have an excessive amount of mulch next to the trunk or that will cause decay). As long as your Crape is getting sun and heat (and winters are reasonable for for where you are), the Crape will eventually grow. If the zone is too cold there will always be some dieback. Some people grow these in zones where they DIE TO THE GROUND! Good luck!

I'm sorry, I'm in hardiness zone 6B (southwest corner of Indiana).

This CM gets full sun about 35% of the day, dappled about 40%, and shade the rest ; all due to a large oak tree elsewhere in the yard.

So, regarding inspiring the growth of new trunks, is that something that will occur naturally, or does pruning as your described accomplish that? I ask, because from my novice perspective it seems that way would accomplish a single trunk result. Granted, I have no clue what I'm doing, so that perspective could be completely faulty.

Thank you again.

Cut off those branches that are virtually at ground level. Crapes tend to branch freely; there will be branching (eventually) higher up (where you want it). Crapes are very forgiving about pruning and ones own particular garden vision.

I have always had the good fortune of having mine positioned someplace in full, unobstructed, day long, southern sun; don't know how you more restricted sun exposure will potentially limit future success. (Other posters may offer an opinion on that issue.)

Have a great weekend!

Oh, one more thing. In Zone 6b, there will usually be some dieback in a typical winter..., so not sure of your goal for it being a TREE is realistic (shrub, YES). Above Zone 7, dieback is really limited (thus the potential TREE problem concerns, if you were only expecting a shrub).

I have a Dynamite Lowe's sold my wife almost a decade back. It is a perennial here more often than not. I like it. I spent 3 hours moving it up closer to the house once I realized it would never be huge. It still dies back.

That makes me sad about the possible no-go on the tree vision. We were in Louisville yesterday and they had some CM's that were BEAUTIFUL! 20' tall, amazing purple blooms, and fantastic smooth, mottled trunks. I was so jealous. Is that true for CM's in general, or are there cultivars that are hardier as trees for my zone (like the purple ones). I'd be willing to move the Dynamite to a different locale, if there was hope of CM tree (of any color) in that spot.

I believe that you are expecting too much of your Crepe. I live in eastern NC, and planted two nice Crepe Myrtles about three season ago. Last year they grew, and had one flower. This year they grew some more and are having more flowers.

You have to realize that those beautiful Crepe Myrtles you see around that are 10' tall are probably 6 to 12 years old. The taller ones probably 25 plus years old, and the real big ones 50+.

The multiple trucks will develop as they age.

They are not a fast growing plant.

One of the biggest mistakes made on this forum is to by a new house, put in new landscape and expect it to be what they see in the old neighborhoods in the six year (average life of a mortgage) when they leave.

It hurts me to see someone tell someone to cut a mature tree down as it took many years to reach maturity. This type of thinking leads to the "Great Plains" look of many new subdivisions.

Sigh, are these just ridiculously stubborn plants, am I doing it wrong, am I an idiot, or all of the above?

===>>> all you are lacking is the long term view of gardeners ...

what you pictured in your head.. was a 6 to 10 year old plant .. without a doubt ... and you are complaining.. one year. later.. it isnt ten years old. ...

rule number one for all but wealthy gardeners is... THERE IS NO INSTANT GRATIFICATION... period ..

all i hope for the first winter is... it lives... yours did ... many of mine barely did like yours ...

this summer it is flowering... so it must be getting real close to becoming ESTABLISHED ... and once it does... it will handle winter easier ... unless you have a z5 winter ...

again .... THERE IS NO INSTANT GRATIFICATION... these things all happen in tree years.. shrub years.. etc ... they are not annuals.. nor perennials.. and you have to think in terms of multiple years for satisfaction ...

plant more ..... and relax ... if it lives.. you win ...

ken

Actually, I think they ARE relatively fast growing. Though may be a difference in the cultivar selected; Dynamites ARE one of the improved hybrids (as are any with the name of a Native American group..., Hopi, Zuni, Catawba, etc...)

Tomorrow I will post pics of Hopi and Zuni; Dynamites (which DID have a setback), are just coming into bloom..., but they bloom through October! Still, patience is a virtue. The secret is to have so many plants that you never notice the one that has been sittin' in the corner for a decade and doin' nothin' special, until it decides to shine. LOL!

P.S., Yes, it is possible that a change in your plants positioning will improve your long term success. (Moving up a half a zone is not that difficult.) DO NOT CONSIDER MOVING IT UNTIL NEXT YEAR..., thinking MARCH. They transplant reasonably well.

Actually I was researching the CM's I saw in Louisville. I can't be sure, because I couldn't find any close up pics of the bark, but I think the Catawba are the ones I saw. Online research says they're hardy to zone 7, but I'm sure Louisville is the same zone as me. Maybe there's hope for those? Compared to the Dynamite, would they be more/less/equally hardy?

That's all given the assumption that my Dynamite needs to be moved and modified to shrub expectations.

"rule number one for all gardeners... THERE IS NO INSTANT GRATIFICATION... period .."

a lesson learned at great expense and experience by nearly all of us. We learn it and forget it every time we see a beautiful plant advertised....gotta have it.....and surprise! (for the 100th time) it looks like a small houseplant for three years and we stress and sweat wondering if it will even make it through a cold winter, raw spring, and a steaming summer. So if you are an idiot than join the other 90% us who garden. I often think that gardening is, as Samuel Johnson wrote about second marriages, the "triumph of hope over experience."

And the main reason I put it there to begin with was convenience. There was an old, dead tree there when we bought the place. I cut it down and rented a stump grinder and ground it down to a depth of like 2-3'. That left me with a huge hole, of course, so I took the opportunity to replace the dead tree with a living one. If needed, I could move it closer to the fence for more sun, or elsewhere for a different effect for that matter.

I have a catawba that i planted last summer.

With fertilization crape myrtles can grow VERY fast. I planted 4 in all last year. Of the 2 that i have been fertilizing, one died to the ground and is already over 4ft tall. The other one suffered no dieback and had doubled in hieght and is getting ready to bloom. This one is the "Centennial Spirit.

I fertilized all of my plants this spring with Miracle Grow. Is that what you used? If so, how often?

i grow in glacial sand.. AND NEVER FERT ANYTHING .. EVER ... its simply not needed .. most of the time..

to many peeps think of plants as children.. who need constant feeding.. most dont ...

a little of this or that.. sure wont hurt.. and if the lawn is close and fertd.. it will eventually get roots out there ...

as to who said relatively fast growing ... yes.. but my point was.. AFTER THEY GET ESTABLISHED.. after the transplant ...

ken

Yes that is what i used. In may i put down an 8-8-8 slow release fertilizer and i fertilized once with a water soluble concentrated fertilizer. Both miracle grow. Also giving them lots of water helps with the growth.

I will upload pics in a little bit.

Okay, so here are two pics of the same plant. It is a Hopi Dwarf. Planted in 2010 from one gallon size. Currently, 10 feet tall (and that is after some pruning at the top.., maybe tree feet cut off the top in early March.

Here is my Zuni (transplanted from an earlier home in 2007). It is about 12 feet tall, cannot reach the top to prone, but do prune the sides (due to proximity of lilac and a Magnolia). So, it is very vertical and seem content.

P.S., I never fertilize them.

Dynamites ARE one of the improved hybrids (as are any with the name of a Native American group..., Hopi, Zuni, Catawba, etc...)

'Dynamite' (WHIT II) is actually a Whitcomb selection of Lagerstroemia Indica. The hardier crape myrtles are l. fauriei and its hybrids. Would be nice if otherwise, but USNA used Native American names for l. indica, l. fauriei, and l. indica x fauriei cultivars. As already covered, many factors beyond genes affect in situ hardiness, but generally l. indica is least, l. fauriei is most, and their hybrids fall somewhere in between.

Edit: May not be clear in linked chart that the named varieties without asterisks have both l. indica and l. fauriei somewhere in their parentage.

I don't know what the original poster ended up doing, but I would probably leave maybe two of the new shoots to grow. CMs can actually grow quite fast. These will bolt up.

Then just encourage with a lot of water during the warm summer. If you can have at least three trunks growing up, then once it gets established you should have a nice looking plant going.

Out in wild Nature, there are no mowed lawns and even a meadow is going to be full of tall grasses and weeds. So, when any tree grows amongst other grasses or bushes, it is forced to grow up taller before branching out. Not to mention, any seedling gets some windbreaking, shade, and weak support from all the surrounding pioneer species. That's why wild trees don't "need" staking and pruning.

If you similarly left your grass unmowed right around your Crepe Myrtle, it would actually help force it to grow its leaders up taller before branching out - saving it and you the time & effort required to prune it as much.

"That's why wild trees don't "need" staking and pruning."

That makes no sense at all to me. The reasons listed have nothing to do with why wild trees don't need to be staked, and, if anything, would make them even more "floppy".

"If you similarly left your grass unmowed right around your Cr(A)pe Myrtle..."

...it would surely make your yard look unkept, annoy your neighbors, and do little to help your crape myrtle.

^ I'm talking about leaving maybe just an ~8"-1' diameter circle of unmowed grass around a seedling. Just let the grass grow tall there. That doesn't look too bad at all and no neighbors will get annoyed by it. Speaking from experience, this works.

I have two Dynamites. I have several other cultivars as well. In my experience Crapes squat for about three years. Natchez and Muskogee are the two I have that I would call fast. Red Rocket is slow and so is Dynamite. Dynamite also has a narrower more irregular shape than other varieties.

Sorry so long to reply, been working.

subtropix - those are beautiful, both the Hopi and the Zuni, thank you for posting those pictures.

bostedo - I'm confused. I've read elsewhere that Catawba are a very hardy cultivar, but your post said that l. indica are the least hardy cultivar and the list you posted said that Catawba are l. indica, which definitely seems to imply that Catawba are among the least hardy of the CM cultivars. Did I misread your post, or was the info I read elsewhere inaccurate? Also, is that list not all encompassing, because Dynamites aren't on that list and I've also read of other cultivars (in this thread even) that aren't listed?

I think I'll respectfully disregard the "letting the grass grow around it" advice. Maybe there's some logic to it, somewhere, but I'm not going to sacrifice the overall appearance of my yard in that way. Thanks for the advice though.

Thanks for all the replies everyone, you have all been very helpful so far!

AH, I don't blame you for being confused! So am I, still. But here goes (sure to be corrected). The Chinese species Lagerstroemia indica (in botany, the first name is the genus; second is the species) is hardy to about zone 7b (7a with some dieback). This species was crossed with the Japanese species (Lagerstroemia fauriei) is hardy to Zone 6a. The hybrids (Lagerstroemia

indica x fauriei) are cold hardy to about 6b. The hybrids also had the advantage of greater disease resistance and tolerance to high humidity. This part seems clear enough. Now, I HAD thought that only hybrids were named after native tribes. That would make sense; it would be easier to track of parentage in marginal growing areas. But as the above poster points out, there ARE pure L. indica plants that also were given native tribe names (Catawba is one of them; there are others).

But I gotta get to work now so don't have time to do more research. But I still have questions.

Is 'Dynamite' a hybrid or not?; and if so what other hybrids have names that are not designated by native American tribes.

There are two relatively new Crapes being sold locally ('Plum Magic' and 'Black Diamond') Are they hybrids or the species (i.e., L. indica)?

According to this:

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Research/Herbarium/Lagerstroemia/Checklist_PQ.html

Plum Magic originated from open pollinated seed of GAMAD VI.

According to this:

http://www.google.com/patents/USPP22161

‘Gamad VI’ is a Lagerstroemia indica×Lagerstroemia faurieihybrid

So, my newbie deduction would seem to indicate that Plum Magic is a l. Indica x l. fauriei hybrid.

Thank you. I ran a few chores in the AM and now I am back to these forums. I am off from real work, but too darn hot to do anything outside (looks to be an extended heat wave in the East). Of course, the Crapes love the heat so they look great. I couldn't resist the 25% off sales. So in addition to the 'Plum Magic' and 'Black Diamond' (both have very deep plum foliage and on the 'Black Diamond', the foliage is almost black/w. red flowers), today, I purchased two unnamed cultivars. One with pale pink flowers (some are even white) and another with pale lavender. (Will post the pics here later in the week for possible identification.) Of course, the advantage to getting a NAMED cultivar is that you know the eventual height it wants to be (assuming limited dieback of course), in addition to its hardiness.

I meant to add to my earlier posting, that, in your area, a reputable nursery would probably know enough to only sell the hardier hybrids (maybe your big box stores too)..., mine at least seems to have representatives come in that deal specifically with their trees and shrubs. (But it seems in my area, the marketplace includes both the species and its numerous hybrids.)

But lots I don't know, for example are their differences in hardiness among the cultivars? My 'Hopi' was fabulous through the two consecutive winters from he// (0 dieback); 'Dynamites', 'Catawba' had a bit of damage. Not bad on the 'Zuni' either (my oldest and tallest).

WARNING: the purchase of a single Crape Myrtle may lead to severe Crape hoarding and addiction. LOL.

"Ebony Crapemyrtles and Black Diamond Crapemyrtles are the same clones under different names" from http://allthingsplants.com/thread/view/18763/Black-Diamond-Crape-Mytrle/

Don't know the voracity of the source, but there's a whole discussion on it.

Yes, just read it! Thanks, again.

No problem, when I receive help I like to try to give it when I can. I don't know much about gardening, but luckily for me the questions you had were simple factual research. I'm good at that! Lol

Alexander, Looks like you nailed the 'Plum Magic' ancestry - Google Patents is a great resource for the patented cultivars. Subtropix gave a nice summary of the USNA findings on hardiness, which is a good starting place - especially if there are not any mature CM trees around or a good nursery to provide you with proven locally hardy cultivar names.

The USNA list provided earlier contains just their l. Indica/ l. fauriei/hybrid introductions. They have newer ones, like Arapaho, that have also been crossed with l. limii... so, getting evermore convoluted. Their list of known Lagerstroemia cultivars covers most any you're likely to find in North America and is a great starting place for background information.

'Dynamite' is an improved cultivar, but its parents were all l. Indica, so is not a hybrid. It was selected for its characteristics from one of the many controlled breeding programs of Dr. Carl Whitcomb.

So now I have to imagine this is a lie, right?

https://www.gardenerdirect.com/gardening-tools/408/Fauriei-Hybrid-Indian-Crape-Myrtle-Series

It says Catawba is a l. indica x fauriei hybrid.

So now I have to worry about retailers just arbitrarily making things up? Sigh.

I think I've decided to move my Dynamite to another area, since it seems a bush is much more likely than a tree, given my zone. I wanted a tree in that spot, but I cant see getting rid of the poor little guy just because he can't meet my expectations. I'll find him a nice home elsewhere in the yard where he can realize all of his bushy wonder, lol. I'd like a purple cultivar, preferably deep violet but at least a darker purple, that is tree hardy in zone 6. Is that possible to find, or do I need to become a botanist and invent my own hybrid?

All my searching comes back to Catawba, which is absolutely perfect for what I want, but not tree hardy to my zone.

Subtropix - Your zuni looks pink in your pictures, but other pictures I've seen online look decidedly dark purple. Given indica x fauriei hybrid parentage, I'm guessing it should be tree hardy in my zone. My question regards it's color. USNA says medium lavender, what's your opinion on the color in relation to catawba - decently close, maybe?

Well, close to 'Pluto Time' here (astronomical-minded gardeners can Google that one for a kick!), but I just looked at the 'Zuni' again. Definitely, I would NOT call it purple, it's a RICH, saturated MAGENTA (though I see why you say that based on the picture). Catawba is purple, there's a difference. I'm not color blind but the funny thing is, when I went out this morning I intended to get a pale lavender Crape, got (another) pale pink one by mistake, might have been the heat, (though the new pink one is different from the 'Hopi' I have as it has white in it as well as pink; then of course, I went back for the pale, silvery lavender (having had to confirm this by asking a female shopper). LOL! Our favorite (so far) is the 'HOPI' hands down (which is, I believe classified as an 'Intermediate'..., not a dwarf by any means). Not sure how 'Zuni' compares with 'Hopi' (other than floral color). Wait till you see the Dynamites..., those are just coming into flower but will bloom into October. Will try to get another shot of the Zuni tomorrow.

I see 'Black Diamond' written above as if it were a cultivar. There is no crApe myrtle cultivar called 'Black Diamond'. That name is a trade-name (registered trademarked name) for a series of at least eight different cultivars.

The cultivar name of...

Black Diamond Best Red is ‘Ebony Flame’,

Black Diamond Blush is ‘Ebony Glow’,

Black Diamond Crimson Red is ‘Ebony Fire’,

Black Diamond Pure White is ‘Ebony & Ivory’, and

Black Diamond Red Hot is ‘Ebony Embers’

I don't know the cultivar names for Black Diamond Mystic Magenta, Black Diamond Purely Purple, or Black Diamond Shell Pink.

Got it..., 'Ebony Flame' it is.

I have visited portions of California where these trees grow. They look unreal when in bloom. They are well worth the effort if you can get them to grow.

crepe myrtle trees take some time to grow into a mature tree. those "offshoots" at the bottom beside the trunk are called suckers they pretty much grow and kill the main part of the tree so cut them off and the main tree will have the nutrients to grow into a mature tree faster

here is mine

"crepe myrtle trees take some time to grow into a mature tree. those "offshoots" at the bottom beside the trunk are called suckers they pretty much grow and kill the main part of the tree..."

Actually, no, crApe myrtle suckers do not "kill the main part of the tree". It sounds like you may possibly be getting confused with the way many grafted trees respond to suckering. It is true that by removing suckers, you may encourage more growth in the remaining trunks, but leaving the suckers do not hurt the crape's health at all.

Just to point out the obvious. Someone questioned the culltivar\color match. I think we have at least 12 on our property. I was certain we purchased Natchez at some point and we have none that are white. Often the grower/sellers get them mixed up when in transport or when the nurseries recieve them. Also, color perception seems to be subjective as well. I'd certainly call Tonto a pink not a red.

As to the original post, keep all the little suckers. As pointed out some will dieback in winter anyway in your zone. The ones that survive will give more options for a mulltitrunk tree.

I did actually start letting the suckers grow out. Originally I got some suckers that didn't actually look like they were part of my dynamite, so I got rid of them, but the ones I have now are definitely the right ones. I'm still moving it up by the house, since I can't have my tree:( I also have to have one of my oaks and my maple removed, which is very sad, but I guess that'll free up some real estate for a hardier crape. Maybe a dogwood. I don't know.