My Crepe Myrtle is 2yrs. in my garden.This was the first year it
bloomed.So......Pretty!!! I don't want to do anything to destroy the blooms
for next year so what do I do??Prune or not to Prune??? Thanks

"corky" wrote in message
...
My Crepe Myrtle is 2yrs. in my garden.This was the first year it
bloomed.So......Pretty!!! I don't want to do anything to destroy the
blooms
for next year so what do I do??Prune or not to Prune??? Thanks


I prune my Crepe's every year once all the leaves have fallen. I tend to
prune away only the new growth from the lower areas of the plant. My wife
calls this Limbing Up the bush. By trimming off the new branches right where
they sprout from the main trunks, you expose more of the trunk wood, which
has beautiful patterns in the bark as the bush matures.
I virtually never "top off" any branches, as more height is desirable to me.
I like to do all pruning by cutting off whole branches, never cutting a
branch 1/2 way back. Each year mine fill out again & bloom profusely.
David
MD zone 7

I'm not an expert, but I moved into a house with a crepe myrtle 2 years ago.
The first spring the crepe myrtle hardly bloomed at all, and when it did it
was very late in the season and had powdery white stuff all over it. I
consulted a gardening manual that said to wait until Februry to prune it.
Following that advice, I didn't touch it until the appointed time. I waited
until the end of Feb and did some serious pruning off the top (3 to 4 ft)
and cleaned out the bottom a little bit. This year, the crepe myrtle did
great. It was much fuller, bloomed right on schedule with lots of flowers,
and had no white powder.

I can't say for sure that you shouldn't prune now ..but I waited til
February on mine, and the results were so good I'm going to do the same this
year ..

Good luck!
(Dallas, TX)

My Crepe Myrtle is 2yrs. in my garden.This was the first year it
bloomed.So......Pretty!!! I don't want to do anything to destroy the blooms
for next year so what do I do??Prune or not to Prune??? Thanks

Pruning is fine for Crepe Myrtles. Depending on where you live you
can prune anytime, but don't prune more than a third of the plant.
You'll possibly see a slight decrease in blooms, but if the plant is
healthy, it will bounce back. If it's older, pruning may actually
increase blooms as more area is exposed to light.

Jeff