How to Care for a Crepe Myrtle Tree
The Crepe (or Crape) Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is one of the most planted decorative trees in the United States. It originated in China but is now cultivated widely throughout the world. There are many variations in size, from small shrubs to tall trees. Flowers can range from white to pink, magenta and purple.
Most Crepe Myrtles are shrubs by habit and beautiful in that form. Still, many Crepe Myrtles are pruned to grow as small trees. In this form, they decorate parking strips and parking lot planters everywhere. Their long bloom season is one reason for their attraction. In some climates they will bloom for almost six months. They also have interesting bark that tends to peel off in small sections. Once the flowers die back, the seed will grow readily the next year. About the only real enemies they have are aphids and humidity. Crepe Myrtles make a beautiful, low maintenance addition for any garden.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Crepe Myrtle tree adapted to your growing area
- Fertilizer for flowering plants
- Well-drained soil
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1
Make sure your Crepe Myrtle is planted in well drained, fertile soil. Use a good quality fertilizer designed for flowering plants and shrubs. Follow the directions on your particular fertilizer.
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2
Remove suckers and buds of new branches as they appear on the "trunk." Remember that the Crepe Myrtle is predominantly shrubby in habit, and you'll have to be vigilant about those side shoots if you want to maintain it as a tree.
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3
Fight aphids with a weak soap solution sprayed on the leaves. The aphids won't really do much damage themselves, but they leave a sticky residue that can become a host to fungus or mold which can be unsightly or even damaging.
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4
Water deeply and regularly when first planted. Once it is established, a Crepe Myrtle can tolerate fairly arid conditions.
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5
Prune the Crepe Myrtle back to a strict tree form once it has lost all its leaves in the fall. This will ensure that it will keep its tree shape once it starts to leaf out in the spring.
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Tips & Warnings
Try different varieties, or talk to your local nursery about the best Crepe Myrtle for your particular situation.
Most Crepe Myrtles are grown as trees, but they make beautiful floral shrubs if allowed to grow that way.
Water the soil around the tree, but keep the flowers and leaves dry to discourage fungal diseases.
Humid environments can encourage mold; talk to your nurseryman about treating this problem.
Make sure you avoid breaking the bark around the tree (known as "girdling"), which would probably kill it.
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Comments
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I planted my myrtle tree in August and so far it is doing very well. Looking forward to seeing it grow healthy and beautiful. It was planted in honor of Tiffany our daughter who past and is now in heaven.
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It says to remove braches as they appear. Does that mean it is alright to trim branches off in 105 degree Texas weather?
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I'm not an expert on plants, but I found when you have a plant like this and you have seriously ridiculous temperatures outside, there are ways around it. Crepe Myrtle are supposed to get full sun usually, but if you have a serious temperature scale like that... it would be best to give it mostly sun and some shade. When you plant it, make sure you do it early or late when the temperatures are cool. Get some of that landscaping fabric and place around the base and then apply like an organic mulch of some type. I like to use the organic black mulch. Looks good, goes with anything, and works great. It helps with beautiful blooms if you give it plant food like the Scotts extended release rose and bloom food for plants that have (and want) abundant flowers for flowering plants. Water it well the first time, and then again every day (or at least every other day). Make sure you water early morning or late afternoon when the temperatures are still below 90 (or even better below 80 if you can get lucky. The lower the better, but above 65.) This helps to keep it from burning and pretty much boiling the plant and steaming it and drying it out too badly. Don't forget to keep it pruned if you want it to look like a tree! Hope this helped...
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crape myrtles love heat and need full sun no shade for the best blooming.
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It's August in Southern Calif and every year about this time large pieces of bark peel off our mature crepe myrtle. Does anyone know if this is normal or not? Tks.
