Crape myrtles bloom on new growth. Shape them in very early spring
(February here where I am in S.C. Texas) and never prune them before
the cold weather is looming. This will promote new growth and if you
get a cold snap those tips will burn back.

Crape myrtle is not ordinarily a heavy feeder, but you can give them a
nice fertilization in spring by using a quality, certified organic
fertilizer and top dress with quality compost.

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 15:02:01 GMT, "Natty Dread"
wrote:

Hi all -- When I bought my house last year, the landscaper that did the
initial work on the property planted three crepe myrtles that are now about
4.5 feet tall. One of them has bloomed three times since planting, but the
others have never even set buds. I don't know what the particular cultivars
are, I just know that they're supposed to be tree-sized eventually (10-15
feet tall) and each is supposed to have blooms of a different color (the one
that's blooming now is deep plum/pink and the other two are supposed to be
white and purple). Can anyone think of a reason why two of these three
similarly situated crepe myrtles haven't bloomed yet? Are there particular
cultivars that don't bloom until later in their growth cycle? Thanks in
advance for any info.

Rhonda
Richmond, VA
USDA Zone 7



********
Basic human psychology is one of my subroutines.