I'm a Buckeye too for what ever that is worth. That first picture that shows the crepe myrtles "knuckled" is just downright ugly. It doesn't look like anything in nature. The second picture looks like a normal tree.

To each his own but most Agronomists will tell you to trim the tree. In the OP’S case, as explained, it apparently was a communication problem. Homeowners have every right not to prune if that is their preference. The good news is the tree will quickly bounce back in a couple of months more healthy and beautiful than ever.

Every idea that is an "accepted truth" always begins with one persons opinion which can be right or wrong and over time becomes an accepted norm or truth.

Here is an update on our dilemma. Our pruning company contacted us and apologized for the miscommunication and the cutting of our tree. Next we sent photos to them per their request. We now have an agreement in writing to monitor the tree taking pictures as necessary, check regrowth in 6 months, they are not to ever prune the tree again, and any signs of dying they will replace the tree. Thanks to everyone for your advice and positive comments that our tree will come back to its glory in time.

But.....with Crepe Murder, also called "knuckling", don't the branches wind up with those large round knots which is what the knuckling is referring to? I don't want our Crepe Myrtles to have those large knuckles. I just have the old seeds pruned off in late February. The trees fill in very nicely and look quite lovely in the summer months.

Yes, it will grow back but the beautiful shape will never be the same. Just because many people murder their crape myrtles it does not mean it is the right way to maintain them. There is a reason arborists say to never commit crape murder.

How can crepe myrtle stubble be more attractive than the tree???????? I don't get it!

here's how the same trees look in blossom,,, ea yrheight increases 4" or 5",,, of course they'll also bloom if left 'unknuckled' but it does take longer here in no atlanta
we trim in february & trees don't mind a bit evidently

To belabor the point, that is what I don't like about knuckled trees. They shoot long fronds out like suckers look at the base of a tree. They don't look graceful like the trees that are left alone. I much prefer to leave them alone and just prune errant branches like one does with other types of trees.


Knuckling is big in Europe, but mainly because their old plane and some other trees are so massive they become a problem for adjacent buildings. And it isn't necessarily done every year. When it is done in the spring, it's August before these trees fill back out. You lose a whole summer of shade.