Prune crape myrtles in late winter to encourage strong new growth and flower production. Avoid pruning in spring, summer, or fall to prevent cutting off new flowers and stressing the tree. Never top ...

A: You'll delay summer blooms if you prune after new growth has begun in spring. There's no set rule that we must prune crape myrtles. But, if it's desired or needed, the ideal pruning time is late ...

Question: Lots of shoots are growing from the base and among the limbs of a tree form crape myrtle. Can I remove these to allow yard work? Answer: Do the needed pruning to make your crape myrtle more ...

To prune or not to prune, that is the question. Is it the right time? Why am I pruning? How do I prune this plant? What tool should I use? Will I hurt, kill or permanently maim my plant? Doesn't this ...

I usually wait until mid-January to write something on this topic but this week I saw my first severe pruning of a crape myrtle for this dormant season earlier this month. So, instead of visions of ...

Question: Several crape myrtles have grown well in my landscape. When and how should I prune them for spring? Answer: Actually, you don’t need to prune crape myrtles, but yearly pruning seems to be a ...

Somehow, the belief that crape myrtles should be brutally pruned by cutting off their tops persists, even though it's inaccurate. Crape murder is a term that has been coined to describe this severe ...

If you have a spot for a specimen shrub or tree, consider planting a crape myrtle. They are cold hardy, produce attractive flowers, and may also provide some free pest control. Since we are on the ...

Q: We read with interest your advice about pruning crape myrtles. You said to not top the trees. But how do we keep them from getting too tall? — B.B., Houston A: Crape varieties vary in height from 2 ...

Whenever I get to the Q&A portion of a talk about pruning trees, there is always a question about how to prune crape myrtles. This time of year, those questions are even more common, as folks start ...

“A tree which has lost its head will never recover it again, and will survive only as a monument of the ignorance and folly of its tormentor.” George William Curtis, American writer, editor and ...