Leave the Butchery Behind: How to Properly Prune Crape Myrtle Trees
Crape myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia) are to the southern United States what ivy is to university towers. Imperative. Expected. Greatly appreciated, and… lovely.
Though not as ubiquitous as they are the Southeast, the crape myrtle’s range also extends to the Southwest and up the west coast, where they are also revered for their great beauty.
Heralding summer’s arrival, crape myrtles erupt in May, June, or July with profuse clusters of delicate flowers in a myriad of colors, including white, various shades of pink, purple, yellow, and even red.
As spectacular as they are in summer, in fall they lose their leaves and gardeners are left with bare branches, stems, and twigs begging to be whipped into shape.
But how to trim? If you know anything about crape myrtles, you know this is a subject of great debate among home gardeners and experts alike. Let’s look at historical and modern best practices for pruning crape myrtle trees.
But First…
You might be shaking your head as you read this, admonishing us for our spelling. It is true that there are several accepted spellings for this alluring tree, including “crepe myrtle,” “crapemyrtle,” and the one we have chosen, “crape myrtle.”
Authoritative sources far and wide differ on the correct way to spell the name of this plant species, all with good justification. Nevertheless, we chose “crape myrtle” because Merriam-Webster indicates it is their preferred spelling, and if you can’t trust the dictionary, what can you trust?
The Dark Ages
Once upon a time, these enchanting trees were “topped” — each trunk, limb and twig chopped to a uniform height across the width of the plant to create a plane so level you could balance a
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