On Apr 14, 7:00*pm, Don Wiss wrote:
On Mon, 12 Apr 2010, internaughtfull wrote:
I have a crape myrtle in the front yard, probably about 30 years old, about
25 ft high, blooms huge. I had some brush removed on a slope and the guys
said they would prune the myrtle also, since it was getting near some power lines.
When I checked it out they cut it to about 6 ft high and the branches are 1-2" or
so thick. Of course I could choke those guys it looks horrible. Will this thing
recover? Should I just remove it and plant a quick growing nellie holly?

That is exactly the way the Brooklyn Botanical Garden prunes theirs. Though
for some reason this year they only pruned the ones on the West side of the
path up from the rose garden like that and left the other side tall. I know
who pruned them and I could ask.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

This seems to be the new way to prune crape myrtles. I don't have a
suckering problem here in West Tennessee. Having said that, I agree
with everyone that it will come back quite well. Think of when you
prune a woody shrub, for every cut across, the tree or shrub puts out
two or more branches. It may even surprise you and bloom! My neighbor
in Greeneville had a man who came round and completely whacked her
purple crape myrtle to the ground in the late winter, and lo and
behold, it not only returned, but grew to close to the same height the
older branches were originally (five to six foot) and was COVERED in
purple blossoms! I was blown away. Here though where I live, they
"knuckle" ALL the crape myrtles. Mine will only get crossing branches
removed. I like the natural shape and only tip the spent bloom ends
which encourages the twig ends to double up. And unfortunately mine
is the old fashioned watermelon pink one. I more like the red ones
and there is a really strong white that I used to have that I left
behind at olde faerie holler. It was 22 foot tall and too happy where
it was planted, and the pink one I had tucked next to it had just
gotten it's wind and was blooming with the white so that it seemed to
be of two colors. Keep us posted on how it returns and does for you.
I'm interested and look forward to seeing how it does.

madgardener, gardening in the lowlands of her new west Faerie Holler
somewhere in West Tennessee, zone 7b Sunset zone 33