full sun gardening

HELP! My stepfather committed CREPE MURDER!

crepe murder

As a former master gardener, it was drilled into my head NOT to commit crepe murder by hacking the branches off the tree.

We were trained in the art and science of “drop crotch pruning.” This means you drop or slide your arm down until the shears hit a juncture of two or more branches (or crotch). That’s where you make the cut. YOU DON’T just hack branches willy-nilly in the middle where there are no nodes. And you certainly don’t cut all of the branches at the same radius from a central point. This, my dear friends, is crepe murder.

crepe murdered crape myrtle
crepe murdered crape myrtle

This year, he murdered it again, only he did it later in the season so she looks terrible. She looks like a person with no torso or neck…just a stumpy thick legged bush with cankles and all of the beauty stunted. ugh!

He should have concentrated more on keeping her looking more like a tree by removing the suckers at her base.

Crepe myrtles bloom on new wood, and they do need a good pruning, without a doubt. They should be pruned in the January-February timeframe using the drop crotch method so that it retains its beautiful and graceful form.

I have told him not to do this in the past, but he obviously isn’t listening. I will show him these photos and tie myself to the crepe myrtles next season to stop this madness!

crape myrtles
You can see he committed crepe murder the season before, but he did it early enough that this front tree had time to fill in with some cascading branches

To drop-crotch correctly, find a branch that points inward, crosses or touches another branch, or you think would benefit the tree’s health or appearance with its removal.

Next, hold the pruners as if to cut the branch, but slide your hand down until the pruners hit the junction of two or more branches (the crouch).

You should only cut at these junctures and never in the middle of a branch. Make sure the cut is clean and doesn’t leave a nub off the branch from which you cut it. Typically, two new shoots will form at this spot, which will make the tree fuller and it will prepare new growth for more blooms.

Crepe myrtles bloom at various times in the summer months for about a month. They have panicle type florets and come in colors ranging from white, red, lilac, pink, and magenta. Also, the leaves may be green, red, or deep burgundy to black.

In addition, different varieties grow to just one or two feet tall, others may grow to four or five feet, some top off at 12 feet, and yet the larger varieties may hit 25 feet or more! There is so much diversity in this group! I’ve even seen some in hanging baskets!

black diamond crepe myrtle will grow to 12 feet
newly planted black diamond crepe myrtle with pink flowers that will grow to 12 feet
another black diamond with red flowers that will grow to 12 feet
another newly planted black diamond with red flowers that will grow to 12 feet
three two-foot crepe myrtle shrubs with raspberry flowers and a taller tree variety that is still juvenile
three two-foot crepe myrtle shrubs with raspberry flowers (right), one has burgundy leaves while the other two have green leaves, and a taller tree variety that is still juvenile also with raspberry flowers(left); none of these are in full bloom yet. these were planted in March of 2021.
black diamond crepe myrtle with white flowers
black diamond crepe myrtle with white flowers
crepe myrtle shrub with raspberry flowers
crepe myrtle shrub with raspberry flowers
crepe myrtle: white natchez with white drift roses
crepe myrtle: white natchez with white drift roses; planted circa April 2021. the roses smell delicious. the crepe myrtle in bloom, uhmm… not so much. it has an overpowering musky scent that is fine in small doses.
pink crepe myrtle standard tree
pink crepe myrtle standard tree planted around 3 years ago. this was crotch drop pruned.
non murdered crepe myrtle not yet in bloom
non murdered crepe myrtle not yet in bloom planted 18 years ago with minimal pruning.

I’ll update these photos as the trees come into fuller bloom.

I have since mail ordered several pink baby crepe myrtle shrubs that will mature to a height of 2-feet. I planted them in front of a row of crinum lilies in the flamingo garden. Right now, one is looking sad, one is looking partly sad and the rest are doing great. It’s only been two days so I will keep an eye on the really bad one and I may have to intervene and put him in the shad for a tad. They are in the ground in good garden soil and have a thick pine bark mulch over their base.

newly planted crepe myrtle cuttings with crinum lilies, josephs' coat and yucca
newly planted crepe myrtle cuttings with crinum lilies, josephs’ coat and yucca

I also just planted five pink crepe myrtle medium sized shrubs expected to get to 4-foot in the backyard garden. They are still quite small but should grow significantly this summer. Looking forward to them blooming in a year!

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