Few trees or shrubs explode with color in the summer the way Crape Myrtles do. Perhaps this is why these trees are so popular throughout Maryland. Crape Myrtles are like the “31 Flavors” of the tree world. They come in every size and many colors. The most important factor is choosing the variety to suit your space! You can find helpful varietal information at the National Arboretum website.By choosing the correct plant, you can minimize the need to prune. Here are a couple of examples of poor and unnecessary pruning, often called ‘Crape Murder’ by landscapers.
If you really do need to prune, here is some useful information:
- Remove suckers (those little sprouts at the base of the tree) by clipping them as close to the ground as you can with SHARP pruning shears.
- Remove any interior branches that cross or rub on other branches. Ideally all of your main branches will point “out”.
- Remove any branches thinner than your finger. This also includes basically all of the old seed pod branches.
- Prune in the early spring. Remember that Crapes leaf out a lot later than native trees. In Central Maryland, this gives you until about the middle of April to prune safely.
If your Crape Myrtles are particularly tall or you don’t quite have the time to take on the work, we recommend contacting an Annapolis area landscaper who can provide a quote and handle the job for you.
very interesting….seems like alot of people are doing it wrong.Are their varieties that dont need as much pruining?
Yes, we do see a lot of unfortunate pruning jobs. The real trick is to research the variety characteristics BEFORE you plant. This way you can get one that meets your needs and drastically reduce the need for pruning.
I live in a small townhouse with a small braayckd. I’d like to plant a crepe myrtle in one of the corners close to the fence partly for shade, partly for having at least a one small tree in my small landscape. I am hoping that the flowers of the crepe myrtle will eventually grow above the fence line. Do you have any suggestion as to what type of crepe myrtle I should plant? Thanks!
There are several different varieties you could try, depending upon what color you are looking for. Crape Myrtles are classed by size and plant shape. It sounds like the most appropriate combo for you would be something between 10 and 15′ tall, with and upright/vase or globose shape. In that catagory are ‘Catawba’ (violet purple), ‘Hopi’ (medium pink), ‘Pink Velour’ (bright pink), and ‘Tonto’ (red pink). There are certainly more varieties that might work for you, but these are usually pretty easy to find.
Good luck!
I have a multi-trunk crepe in my yard that I prune every other year so I can get a big nice canopy on it and I feel by prnnuig it bi-yearly, I can still get a big canopy and also can allow air flow to get through the canopy and keep the crepe happy and not overgrown.