"Frogleg" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:45:27 -0500, "Jeff & Kathy Brown"
wrote:

Are the previous year flower heads supposed to be cut off and when?

From:

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1009.htm

"Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new
growth in the spring. Encourage a second bloom in summer by pruning
flowers immediately after they fade."

I don't prune mine because they're 30-40' tall. They bloom quite
respectably. Light pruning is fine, particularly to control crossing
limbs. Please don't commit Crape Murder -- 'pollarding' -- to produce
a lot of new growth on ugly stumps.

I have a Crepe Myrtle in my yard with about a dozen stems. I was advised by
my local garden center to trim back to an odd number (3 or 5). I certainly
hope that I don't end up with a lot of new shoots. My goal is to develop it
into a tree-like shrub. Being a transplanted New Englander to Virginia, I'm
learning about a lot of new flora.

A big hearty thanks to all of you regulars who post frequently.