Crape Myrtle Trimming
Crape myrtles trees are one the most sought ornamental tree’s in Texas. This is no surprise, as few ornamental plants can challenge crape myrtles for vibrant summer color. The tree’s beautiful summer flowers and showy fall colors make them a great asset to any lawn or garden. Texas landscapes benefit from the ability of crape myrtles to thrive in heat and humidity, as well as their tolerance to drought conditions. Lengthy autumns encourage the tree’s best leaf splendor. A year with quick frosts after a warm and humid fall often freeze the tree’s green leaves, and shorten it’s annual time of beauty.
Crape myrtles tree’s thrive on the growth of new wood and should be trimmed in the late winter or early spring. On some of these trees, removal of twiggy growth, crossed branches, and branches toward the middle of the plant is necessary. We recommend gradually removing side branches four to five feet in height to expose the attractive bark of the crape myrtle trunk. In the crape myrtle growing season, we recommend clipping off lifeless flower blooms to stimulate a flowing blooming lighter in color.
The crape myrtles beauty has certainly encouraged many gardeners to plant the tree, but few people trim them correctly. Correct trimming creates a balanced and shaped tree, ideally with more blooms held upright on its’ strong stems. We have found that flowers bloom earlier on correctly trimmed crape myrtles than on incorrectly trimmed crape myrtles.
Crape myrtles thrive on new growth, so it’s necessary to trim them in the early spring right before they emerge from dormancy. Some landscapers trim their crape myrtles in the fall, but we don’t recommend this approach. Fall trimming will cause an unsightly look for the crape myrtle for the entire winter. Following this practice while the tree is youthful will help the manageability of the tree maintenance as the crape myrtle matures.
If you have crape myrtle trees, give us a call for a trimming estimate! Please note, we do not haul off clippings. Instead, we place all clippings in bio-degradable bags or bundle debris appropriately for City pick up.