I grow a Crape for bonsai plus maybe a dozen in other larger pots.

Crapes not only bloom on new wood, they send out new branches, stop
growing, then send out branches on those branches and then bloom on
those new (2nd) branches!

Take what Roy said to heart....

John

"RoyDMercer" wrote in message
...

Keith,

Just so you know I did not advise anyone to "top" their crape
myrtle, other
than to say it is possible to cut them off almost to the ground and
they
will come back eventually. The single most common reason why crape
myrtles
stop blooming is they are overgrown and neglected. Most flowering
shrubs
(crape myrtles included) only bloom on new growth. The same can be
said for
Rhododendron, roses, and most other flowering shrubs. You can have
the
perfect soil for a plant, but if there is no new growth, there won't
be
blooms. When I prune mine, I clear out excessive and dead growth on
the
inside of the plant and retain the natural form of the plant when
pruning on
the outside.