February 28, 2007
Pruning Crape Myrtles
This weekend was sunny so I decided to tackle some garden tasks. Top on my list was pruning my crape myrtles. I suspect many of you have that task on your to-do list as well. But I would encourage you to selectively prune your crape myrtles and not to bluntly shear them back to stems 4- or 5-feet tall. I did limited pruning to remove crossing branches and to open the canopy some.
It’s certainly quicker to use a pruning saw or even a chainsaw to head back the plants, but I think it destroys the true character of crape myrtles.
Look at this mature crape myrtle on the Auburn University campus. This is one of my favorites on campus.
Just look at how the trunks contort and the branches bend. You can see how lovely the trunks are with the exfoliating bark. It developed its lovely forms through selective pruning over a number of years.
Heading back crape myrtles can also encourage suckering. That means your severe pruning just generated you work later on to remove those suckers.
For more information on crape myrtles and their care, check out this publication from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
Other links:
Common Disease of Crape Myrtle
Common Crape Myrtle--this page includes links to photos of a number of varieties
Posted by at February 28, 2007 09:31 AM | TrackBack