This improperly pruned crape myrtle tree has undergone “crape murder,” which is when the entire crown of the crape myrtle tree is cut off. Courtesy of Leaf & Limb, a Raleigh-based tree care company ...

Too often, crape myrtles are cut back to bare trunks because this abuse will yield more flowers. This type of severe pruning results in a shorter bloom time, delayed flowering, weaker branching and ...

This time in May is critical to the success of your crape myrtles for the next nine months. That includes how well they grow, bloom and look in your landscape. Let’s cover the details. Were they hurt ...

Too often crape myrtles are cut back to bare trunks in the belief this abuse will yield more flowers. In reality this type of severe pruning results in a shorter bloom time, delayed flowering, weaker ...

Not long ago, I received the following email: “I have two crape myrtle trees in my front yard, one about 25 years old and one about 10 years old. They are in full sun. They usually bloom later than ...

There's good news and bad news at Trident Technical College: we now have crape myrtle scale. The good news is horticulture students get firsthand exposure to this invasive pest. The bad news is we ...

Left, the winged seeds of crape myrtle; and right, an American goldfinch feeding on crape myrtle seed. (Image courtesy Gary Graves) Each year from summer into fall, ornamental crape myrtle trees in ...

Now’s the time of year you’re most likely to see naked crape myrtle trees, the unfortunate consequence of improper wintertime pruning. The practice has even been given a not-so-affectionate nickname: ...