On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 10:53:08 -0500, "LFR" wrote:


"Frogleg" wrote

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 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.

Your garden center is correct, although I'm not certain of the magic
of an odd number. :-) My biggest tree has a single trunk that
branches at about 4'; another has 4 smaller 'main' stems. (in SE
Virginia). Crape Myrtles are famous for 'suckers' -- little shoots
that start at ground level or start branching from the trunk(s). It's
simple to just clip these off as they appear.