Crape Myrtles
 

I just purchased 3 types of crape myrtles....Tonto, Dynamite and Tuscarora.
Are any of these the "tree" type or are they all the "V-Shaped" bush type?
Thanks

On 25 Aug 2004 16:16:02 GMT, ospam (Over40pirate)
wrote:

===I just purchased 3 types of crape myrtles....Tonto, Dynamite and Tuscarora.
===Are any of these the "tree" type or are they all the "V-Shaped" bush type?
===Thanks
You can pretty well make em houw you want them. Crepe myrtles are
pretty darn versitle in that they can be shaped, or allowed to be
really bush from the lower sections up like a shrub or just trimed to
have all the growth on top. Next to impossible to kill also. They have
them planted all along the boulevards here in town and they are
routinely broken off and run over by vehicles and before you know it
they are putting out new growth and in no time look like the rest of
the trees thats there. Gotta love those Crepe Myrtles.

My favorites are the peppermint. Flowers are white with red highlights
or stripes just like a peppermeint stick.
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Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

ospam (Over40pirate) in
:

I just purchased 3 types of crape myrtles....Tonto, Dynamite and
Tuscarora. Are any of these the "tree" type or are they all the
"V-Shaped" bush type? Thanks

, i think i've heard some varieties prefer to be multis or standards.
growht variations because Lagerstroemia are hybrids

try gogling those cv names with
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...andard+Erect+%
7Cform++%22multi+stem%22+lagerstroemia+prefers

but i thikn you could train them eihter way (as other reply says)

www.clemson.edu/crepermyrtle/varietieschart.htm


Just dont top them... If you want a certain height, get that kind...Crape
Murder...........Opens the tree to all kinds of fungus & disease........




"Over40pirate" wrote in message
...
I just purchased 3 types of crape myrtles....Tonto, Dynamite and
Tuscarora.
Are any of these the "tree" type or are they all the "V-Shaped" bush type?
Thanks

Crap..........
www.clemson.edu/crepemyrtle/varietieschart.htm


"KCnRichmond" wrote in message
...
www.clemson.edu/crepermyrtle/varietieschart.htm


Just dont top them... If you want a certain height, get that kind...Crape
Murder...........Opens the tree to all kinds of fungus & disease........




"Over40pirate" wrote in message
...
I just purchased 3 types of crape myrtles....Tonto, Dynamite and
Tuscarora.
Are any of these the "tree" type or are they all the "V-Shaped" bush
type?
Thanks

Over40pirate wrote:

I just purchased 3 types of crape myrtles....Tonto, Dynamite and Tuscarora.
Are any of these the "tree" type or are they all the "V-Shaped" bush type?
Thanks

Try searching with Google on e.g. crape myrtle dynamite. This
is what I turned up:

http://ecolage.safeshopper.com/166/235.htm?820

includes this:

Lagerstroemia indica 'Dynamite'™
usda plant hardiness zones: 6, 7, 8, 9 . considered root
hardy in zone 5
sunset plant hardiness zones: 7-10, 12-14, 18-21, 25-31
mature height: 15-20'
best known for its: vibrant cherry red summer flowers .
high mildew resistance . distinctive crimson-colored new
growth
plant family + type: lythraceae . deciduous summer
flowering tree
origin: Dr. Carl Whitcomb, Stillwater, Oklahoma . Plant
Patent # 10296 . Whit II
mildew resistance: high
growth habit: upright . multi-trunked . moderate
horizontal branching
flower color: brilliant true red
bark: tan
autumn foliage color: orange
blooming period: summer . autumn
preferences: full sun, well-drained soils, good air
circulation, soil pH: 5.0-6.5
excellent choice for: specimen flowering accent tree .
groves . screens and border plantings
crape myrtle maintenance: avoid over fertilizing; it
reduces flowering . prune only to thin out canopy; improves
light and air circulation . remove sucker growth as necessary

----------

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/p...ees/crape.html

includes this:

Medium Shrubs - (mature height 5 to 10 feet)
[...]
Tonto - Bright red flowers are produced on this upright,
rounded plant. 'Tonto' has the best red flowers of any of the
disease-resistant hybrids.

-----

I'll leave 'Tuscarora' to you.

MHP

P.S. Good you are asking about sizes. Heights vary widely.
It's no fun to plant the wrong size and have to prune
constantly, and the cuts do provide sites for disease entry.

You probably know, they like strong, direct sun.


Mike Prager
Beaufort, NC (on the coast in zone 8a)
(Remove spam traps from email address to reply.)

On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 23:28:24 GMT, "KCnRichmond"
wrote:

Just dont top them... If you want a certain height, get that kind...Crape
Murder...........Opens the tree to all kinds of fungus & disease........

Around here, we use the term "Crape Murder" for pollarding. That is,
pruning back everything to a few main stubs, which encourages new
growth and bloom at the cut point each year. It makes the trees look
*awful* for half the year, and the constant cutting increases the risk
of disease.

Where Crape Myrtles are "root hardy," and die back each winter, they
will naturally be the bush form. For tree form, trim off all but a few
main stems at the base. I have one 30' tree that's a single trunk up
to about 4', and another 20-25' that's 3 intertwined main 'stems.'
Recently heard you're supposed to leave an odd number to grow, 'though
I have no clue why.

On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 22:29:43 GMT, Frogleg wrote:


Around here, we use the term "Crape Murder" for pollarding. That is,
pruning back everything to a few main stubs,
Not exactly. True pollarding is sustainable and, to some people,
attractive. Originally. it was a practice designed to produce an
annual supply of easy-to-reach firewood, I believe.

The common practice applied to crapes is topping, and it's never a
good idea from the standpoint of the tree (any tree). It can be a
good way to turn a tree into a bush, if you're so inclined, but only
if the tree is realatively small and young. Topping a mature tree
will often kill it.

K

For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 16:07:11 GMT,
(Babberney) wrote:

On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 22:29:43 GMT, Frogleg wrote:

Around here, we use the term "Crape Murder" for pollarding. That is,
pruning back everything to a few main stubs,

Not exactly. True pollarding is sustainable and, to some people,
attractive. Originally. it was a practice designed to produce an
annual supply of easy-to-reach firewood, I believe.

The common practice applied to crapes is topping, and it's never a
good idea from the standpoint of the tree (any tree). It can be a
good way to turn a tree into a bush, if you're so inclined, but only
if the tree is realatively small and young. Topping a mature tree
will often kill it.

I see that both topping
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...005328200.html

and pollarding
http://www.passionfortrees.co.uk/html/pollard.html

are referred to as "Crape murder." I have seen many examples of the
pollarding technique, and it's just as ugly for Crape Myrtles as it is
for the beech trees used in the example above.

Since the tree is deciduous, you have to look at the bare skeleton 4-5
months of the year. I can't imagine how *anyone* would find a stub
with whiskers attractive, while the bare unmutilated tree is quite
graceful.