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January 22, 2010

Crepe murder

crepe myrtle

Photo credit: River Hill Garden Center

My neighbor, Ruth, has several gorgeous crepe myrtles in her yard and last year she had them pruned to within an inch of their lives.

I was nervous and so was she.

She told me the arborist explained that crepe myrtles are more like perennials than they are like trees and that they rebound beautiful from a harsh pruning.

And they did!

I have a baby crepe myrtle in a new bed and frankly, I didn't have to nerve to go after it with my pruners despite the good result next door.

Helen Yoest, who blogs at Gardening with Confidence, talks about the pruning of crepe myrtles in the South, were debate rages.

Maryland has so many crepe myrtles that sometimes I think it should replace the Black-eyed Susan as the state flower. Everybody has at least one, I think.

How do you prune yours? Or do you?

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Garden blogs

Comments

I've been wanting to plant a crepe myrtle for awhile, but wasn't sure how fast they grow. I want a purple-flowering specimen. Any suggestions?

Michelle. You can purchase crepe myrtes in different varieties that grow to different heights. I was told they grow very fast, but my 3-year-old hasn't made that much progress. -- Susan

Posted by: Michelle | January 22, 2010 11:19 AM

As a certified arborist I was surprised to see how many crepe myrtles were in South Carolina when I moved there and then to see them topped more often than not. I only assumed this tree must be different but not according to our local Clemson university.
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/tyk/2007/tyk02.html I am slowly repairing the topping cuts on our myrtles that the past owner did and they bloom beautifully without the topping.

Posted by: Ann | January 25, 2010 1:45 PM

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About Susan Reimer

Susan Reimer has spent 16 years writing about raising kids - among other topics - in her column for The Baltimore Sun. And every time son Joseph or daughter Jessie passed another milestone - driver's license, college, wedding or a move to a new military duty station - she has planted another garden. Now she will be writing about those gardens - and yours - here on Garden Variety.

Susan isn't an expert gardener, but she wasn't an expert mother, either. Both - the kids and the gardens - seem to be doing well in spite of her.

She lives in Annapolis with her husband, Gary Mihoces, who loves to cut his grass but has noticed that there seems to be less of it every time the kids pass another milestone.

Follow @susanreimer on Twitter