Put down the loppers and step away from the crepe myrtles. PLEASE! Every season across America’s lawns and landscapes, these beautiful trees are the poor, unsuspecting victims of a "crime" dubbed Crepe Murder.
Although well intended, when the whiff of impending Spring is in the air, excited homeowners severely cut back crepe myrtles thinking they are helping the trees when in actuality, it’s the worst thing to do.
Instead of healthy trees with strong, bloom-filled branches, murdered crepe myrtles are stumpy with weak, dropping branches and large, arthritic-looking knots where repeated cuts have occurred.
Poor trees. They’re just resting all winter in a dormant stage and just when it’s about time to wake up and push out new growth and vibrant, beautiful blooms, they're hacked on with reckless abandon. It’s the gardening version of a horror movie.
Mother nature designed crepe myrtles (often spelled crape myrtle outside the Southern regions) to grow in an almost perfect, open “V.” The tree grows up and slightly out with branches like outstretched arms to the sky. The branches are sturdy and easily keep heavy blooms upright.
This natural growth pattern allows air and sunlight to reach all parts of the tree, which helps prevent disease. Like most trees, crepe myrtles are low maintenance. Sure, they need some care, but not extreme pruning.
Why Severe Pruning is Bad for Crepe Myrtles
Topping, which is severe pruning to remove the entire top of a tree, is harmful to all trees. Crepe myrtles struggle after topping for the following reasons:
• Stresses the trees as they struggle to recover and rebound
• Makes the trees more susceptible to disease
• New growth branches are weak, sag and easily break (branches should not drape way over like a weeping willow tree)
• Delays blooming and shortens the total blooming time
• Unattractive, unnatural looking trees with stumpy trunks and branches with knot clusters where annual cuts have occurred.
*Images Left to Right from: N.C. Cooperative Extension Pender County and Henderson County
Why Crepe Murder Happens
The Crepe Murder crime spree is driven by two basic causes:
1) Misinformed Homeowner Assumption – A.K.A., ‘The neighbors are doing it, so that must be the right thing to do.’ Resist the temptation to follow suit! If your neighbor was topping off their dogwoods, oaks and elms would you do that, too? Nope. There is nothing unique about crepe myrtles versus any other tree that justifies topping.
2) Miscalculated Planting – Too often homeowners and builders plant trees, such as crepe myrtles, in spaces where they look good at the moment, but don’t factor in growth.
Within a few years, the trees have outgrown their space and are too close to a home or building, which causes problems aesthetically and physically (clogs cutters, impacts drainage, promotes structural mold/mildew growth, etc.).
Handling this latter problem actually requires either completely removing trees, digging up the trees and replanting them further from the structure or a drastic measure called reduction pruning.
How To Safely Prune a Crepe Myrtle
This is not to say crepe myrtles don’t need care. Of course, they do. But, that care is restrained and done in a way to enhance the tree's growth and natural shape. Some basic care tips include:
• Prune in late February or early March before flower buds form (buds for the tree's summer blooms form on new spring growth). This is also the best time to easily see the overall shape of the tree since it's bare with no leaves.
• Remove suckers from around the base of the tree. Otherwise, these new, baby branches will grow into new trunks.
• Remove any low-growing side branches that are 1-3 feet from the ground. These are not main branches that will grow up and out.
• Remove any branches that are dead or diseased.
• Selectively remove any branches that are growing inward towards the center of the tree
(these can interfere with the growth of other branches) and/or have a strange shape and detract from the tree's overall shape.
N.C. State University's Cooperative Extension website has more detailed specifics about crepe myrtle care, including helpful pictures. Tips include how to determine what to prune, how to cut branches properly, what to do if a tree has outgrown its space and much more.
Cooperative Extension Agents Can Help
The USDA’s Cooperative Extension is a network of land-grant universities and colleges across the U.S. that provide resources, research, education and services to the public through county-based, extension offices.
These colleges and universities share resources with extension staff who work locally with communities in every state. Can't figure out what’s causing sections of your grass to die? Contact the local extension office in your county for soil testing. Not sure what’s causing spots on the leaves of your favorite ornamental plant? Let a local extension agent check it out.
The expertise of local extension agents runs the gamut so you’ll surely find answers to your questions. Extension resources are ABUNDANT and typically free. To find your local extension office check here for links to extension services in every state.
If you have already committed crepe murder, don't fear, there are solutions. Reach out to your local extension agent to find about local resources and advice.
Daniel J. Leonard, an extension director with the University of Florida system, offered good advice in this 2018 article. If you need a tree-care expert, read this article for tips on hiring a certified arborist and other tree professionals by Sarah Christas with the N.C. Cooperative Extension.
Picking the Right Crepe Myrtle for Your Yard
If you want to add a crepe myrtle tree to your landscape, be sure to pick the right one for your indented space. The trees can range in height from 7 feet to over 30 feet depending on the variety. Some shrub varieties stay between 3 and 5 feet.
Bloom colors vary as much as the heights with choices such as lavender, red, white, fuchsia and more. Check out this comprehensive list from the Texas A & M extension office of different crepe myrtles, including information on growth patterns and colorful pictures of blooms
With a little research, its easy to find the perfect crepe myrtle for a colorful, beautiful and low-maintenance addition to your yard.
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