A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Crepe Myrtle bushes

I am finding quetions for all you smart people every time I look out my window!! This time its about some Crepe Myrtle bushes I have. I hate them. Well, not true, I love them but not in bush form. Is there a way I can prune them back to make them more tree like? My resident outdoor maintaince sweety chops them all the way back ( to the ground) every spring and they grow right back up bushy and bloomy. So, if I can make it more tree like we would both love it. If not I think I'm gonna rip them out and just get some trees.

Before I would ripe out something that takes a licking by your husband and keeps on ticken' I would give it a try.

A good example of taking a bush and turning it into a tree is the loquat. Everywhere you see them they look like trees. However, if left alone they are just one nice big bush. (See photo below!) This one is mine too~~!


BTW that ground cover you see is growing so fast I have to dig out around it ever couple of days or so to remove the "grass." In 6 weeks there will be no grass at this rate~~! Which is good! The ground cover is a purple potato vine.

When you prune back crepe myrtles,(in early spring) you are only supposed to prune back to the forks on the main trunk, not all the way back. That way all the growth comes from the top and goes upward. As the trunk of the tree grows up, the forks will get higher and higher off the ground. I have one that I need a step ladder to get to now to prune every spring.

I hope this helps

Hey Raye,
That potato vine looks cool, will it grow in Georgia? Full sun or shade????

Ok, I understand now the pruning part, but now that they are bushy how do I find the main fork and get rid of the excess without hacking it to peices?

every time you do a pruning, cut all the branches within 10 inches of the ground, and all but the three thickest vertical brances. don't top those, as they will form a graceful shade canopy for your tree.

soooooo, start from the outside and prune in?

pretty much, that's it. you will create a true trunk for your crepe myrtle. then, if you want, you can cut out some of the growth in the middle, still not touching the thickest ones.