This is what I don't like about pollarded crape myrtle: (From Steve Bender, aka Grumpy Gardner, for Southern Living Magazine) "Repeated pruning to the same point creates gnarled, knobby "knuckles" on the ends of the trunks. In short order, a thicket of long, weak, whiplike branches sprouts from each knuckle. These whips are too weak to support the flowers and hang straight down like cooked spaghetti." I've seen this on trees in this area. To me they no longer look like trees.
He goes on to point out that many people trim their crape myrtles to keeping them from becoming too big for the spot they're in, instead of finding a different type of crape myrtle that will fit the spot.
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It's harder to hate close up.
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