How to Prune and Care for a Crape Myrtle: Where crape myrtle grows best and how to choose a variety for your garden. Find pruning and pest-watching tips.
How to Prune and Care for a Crape Myrtle
- Botanical name: Lagerstroemia spp.
- Common names: Crape myrtle, crepe myrtle, crapemyrtle, crepe-myrtle
- Hardiness zones: 6 to 10
- Size: 3 to 30 feet
- Soil: Moist, well-draining
- Water needs: Moderate
- Light needs: Full sun
- Flower colors: White, pink, magenta, purple, red, burgundy
- Foliage: Deciduous, some foliage color in spring and fall
- Attracts: Bees, birds
Crape myrtle, a garden favorite, grows up to 5 feet per year and flowers all summer. Specimen trees provide summer shade, says Monrovia Nursery Production Planning Manager. “They can anchor a landscape and support many shrubs and groundcovers.” Smaller shrubs are available for smaller gardens.
Multiple cultivars and varieties of two species are available in the U.S., depending on location. Indian crape myrtle (L. indica) dominates. This species thrives in drought, humidity, and heat.
Japanese crape myrtle (L. subcostata var. fauriei) is larger. Both may freeze in zones 6 and 7, but they usually grow in spring.
Is Crape Myrtle a Bush or Tree?
Crape myrtle can be a bush or tree due to its wide range of sizes. “Varies that can reach 15 to 20 feet are best for tree formation,”. “First, choose a single or multi-trunked form. After that, thin and train to the desired shape. To achieve that ‘see through’ look, remove suckers and crossing branches at least head high.”
That may be too much work, so try this plant as a bush or shrub.“They’re a lot less work, as they’re expected to be dense plants and can be sheared back in late winter and other times during the growing season.” I like crape myrtles.
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Where and How to Plant Crape Myrtle
Sunlight is essential for this flowering beauty. It needs water during the growing season but always prefers well-drained soil. using a complete slow-release fertilizer when they wake up in spring.
Can You Grow Crape Myrtle in Containers?
Crape myrtle thrives in bright sunlight, even in pots. Showcase smaller varieties in containers around the patio or pool for summer color. You can also plant smaller or intermediate types as foundations.
How to Prune Crape Myrtle
The best crape myrtle pruning method is disputed. Some severely prune crape myrtles each year, leaving only a stump that causes damage and disfigurement. Crape myrtles flower on new growth, but there’s no need to prune them so heavily—horticulturists call this “crape murder”.
Crape myrtles are highly resilient and can be pruned effectively.I prefer limbing and training tall trees to create natural canopies. Before the plant breaks dormancy, prune in late winter. Thin any unwanted branches, suckers, or growth that interrupts the structure. Only the previous year’s seed pods should be pruned if the plant has enough space.
Like cuts on humans, pruning plants exposes them to disease and pests. Follow with sparing pruning. Cut the trunk or the larger branch the unneeded branch is attached to just outside the branch bark collar. Avoid cutting the branch collar to close the wound quickly.
Crape Myrtle Pests and Diseases
Although crape myrtles are easy to grow, Tracy advises watching out for pests and diseases.
Powdery mildew: If this fungus is common in your garden, look for resistant varieties.
Foliar leaf spots can cause leaf drop but don’t usually harm plants.
Ambrosia beetles: Toothpick-like sawdust on the trunk or branches indicates an infestation. Treatment requires aggressive pesticides, so cutting the tree down may be best.
Japanese beetles skeletonize leaves and eat flowers. They rarely kill healthy trees but can make them less attractive. Since they attract pollinators, pesticide treatment should be done carefully.
Aphids: Aphid honeydew looks ugly with black mildew. Try squirting aphids from the
Top Crape Myrtle Varieties for Your Garden
Compact bush-types have many benefits, including beautiful spring foliage colors. This trait alone benefits a foundation plant. Tracy raves about these, which have abundant flowers in many colors that contrast with the foliage.
I love Monrovia’s Summerlasting series. Summerlasting Strawberry, a glossy red compact new growth variety, is my favorite. Tree-form crape myrtles should be medium or large like Dynamite, Muskogee, or Natchez. Try Red Rocket in zone 6 for cold-hardiness.
