Those flowery trees.... (Star: 2015, HOA, house)

[m378]

Awesome title I know.

Are they called Crepe Myrtles? They're everywhere, red, pink, white, etc. Started to bloom about a month ago.

When is the best time to prune these?

[poppydog]

Yes, crepe myrtles. Don't prune them, that's crepe murder.

Stop! Don't Chop Crepe Myrtles! - Southern Living

[m378]

Originally Posted by poppydog

Yes, crepe myrtles. Don't prune them, that's crepe murder.

Stop! Don't Chop Crepe Myrtles! - Southern Living

You mean prune them, but don't chop them down to stumps?

The HOA chopped everything down in my development I believe in the spring. They look pretty good now.....

But yeah I'd prefer not to chop ours into that ugly state if it's not the right way.

[MikeJaquish]

The only pruning ever needed is to remove extra interior branches and sucker sprouts. Keep the interior of the tree from getting too dense and from limbs crossing over each other.

But, you remove the entire individual extra branches where they come off the main trunks, not chopping the tops off the whole tree like a drunk with a chainsaw and no sense.

Once you appreciate the beauty of a properly filled out crape myrtle, the topped ones will make you queasy.
Over on Westchase Boulevard and Carter-Finley Stadium Road, at the PNC/Carter-Finley arena complex, someone affiliated with the premier agricultural university in the State of NC destroyed dozens of beautiful mature crape myrtles by hacking them down a few feet off the ground. The irony! And, they look truly grotesque.

[h2ohzrd]

Best time to prune these is around February. Mike J. pretty much said all you need to know. And please, just don't give it a crew cut! They will push out adventitious shoots at the base of the tree so be sure to keep them trimmed down throughout the season.

[luv4horses]

My feeling is that you can prune them UP but not DOWN. By that I mean that you can occasionally remove some very low branches to create a more tree like form. But yes, pruning from the top down give trees a pretty odd look, especially when there is no need for size containment. Pollarding of trees is meant to yield more leafy growth at the top of the tree, but crepe myrtles look best without that.

[poppydog]

Here's a nice pic and write up of some beautiful mature crepe myrtles, minimally pruned:
Crepe myrtles in winter: Sculptural drama | Digging

Here's what not to do:
Meet The Winners! Crepe Murder 2016 | Southern Living Blog

You really mostly don't need to prune them. A crepe myrtle is a tree. Do you prune your pine trees or your oak trees or your dogwoods or redbuds? If you see a problem area where a branch is going to rub up against another branch then by all means prune that, but you don't need to otherwise. It's a grotesque practice like topping hardwood trees, and yes people do that too.

Here's an image of a 50 yr old crepe myrtle trunk at JC Raulston Arboretum: https://lorilynnsullivan.files.wordp...ntasy_jcra.jpg
And more here: https://jcraulstonarboretum.wordpres.../crepe-myrtle/

[m378]

Unfortunately one was planted about five feet from our house - and it doesn't appear to be the smaller variety. Something needs to be done as it's taking over the front of the house, roof, etc.

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by m378

Unfortunately one was planted about five feet from our house - and it doesn't appear to be the smaller variety. Something needs to be done as it's taking over the front of the house, roof, etc.

I sit in my office and can see a butchered crape myrtle right outside the door. Every year the landscapers come through and top them.
New growth comes out, but it is very weak, and several new branches snap off every spring and litter the sidewalk.

Before I would hack one to shreds, I would consider moving it to an appropriate location to let it reach potential in beauty.
They are pretty resilient to even a fairly rough move. I had guys move one in my yard, and they only dug about 1/3 of the root ball out. It struggled just a bit, and is now well established 18 months later.
And, I have one that I moved from shade and wet to sun and dry several years ago that is doing just great.

[adlnc07]

There's a great variety in sizes so don't worry that yours will get as big as the arboretum ones. Those are so beautiful though!