Crepe Murder
 

If you don't cut back crepe myrtles, what will the tree look like in the summer? The wife calls cutting back crepe murder.

It only has flowers on the new growth. So, the more you cut it back the more flowers you will have on the plants.

Crape Murder
 

If you shop at Publix off 466, their parking lot is lined with Myrtles that have never, ever been cut back. They are beautiful sturdy trees with a spreading form and every year they are covered in blossom and bloom for several months. The Villages does not practice crape murder!

If you shop WalMart off 466 their parking lot is lined with Myrtles that are butchered every fall. Their trees are usually one trunk with a bushy matted top and that's what crape murder does to this beautiful tree.

I was told quite recently that Lady Lake is passing an ordinance to stop crape murder, but I have not looked into it to know whether this is just hearsay or truth.

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So true... My neighbor has someone cut back his CM yearly and they look like twigs with a couple of flowers. During the Summer TV is alive with color thanks to CM's.

I've seen TV trimming these trees along Morse Blvd and maybe Buena Vista as well. Don't know if they "do" all the trees...as I've seen some NOT trimmed. A few weeks ago, in The Sun in an article about lawn care it was recommended to trim by a horticulturist. So what is it? Mixed messages here!!

Here's a link - everything you wanted to know about crepe myrtles... Crapemyrtle Questions and Answers

This is the best advice on pruning crepe myrtles.

"Crapemyrtles bloom on the current season’s growth, so they can be pruned in the spring and will still flower normally throughout the summer. Larger, heavier flower clusters and rank growth often result when the branches are cut back severely, and these flowers are often so heavy that they bend toward the ground. For this reason, we do not recommend the practice of pollarding or cutting the branches back to stubs every year."

We had two crepe myrtles in our back yard in CA. Every winter I would trim the branches back about 12-18", but never severely back to a junction. Here is a picture of the two of them.
Attachment 2095

Southern Living's landscape editor, Steve Bender, has a crape murder photo contest going on right now. See the winners at The Grumpy Gardener - SouthernLiving.com
He also shows you how a crape myrtle SHOULD be pruned.

I've had them for years in Mississippi, Virginia and NC. Trim the old blossoms off; they will get bushier with just that being done. No need to "murder" them.

Crape Murder
 

Thank you for the link. Great article and pictures with some sickening examples of what people do to living trees. The photos of his own correctly pruned myrtle were great.

Apparently, crape myrtles come in different sizes, so if you have a small space you can get one to fit.