I usually wait until mid-January to write something on this topic but this week I saw my first severe pruning of a crape myrtle for this dormant season earlier this month. So, instead of visions of ...

Prune crape myrtles in late winter to encourage strong new growth and flower production. Avoid pruning in spring, summer, or fall to prevent cutting off new flowers and stressing the tree. Never top ...

How dull our summer streetscapes would be without the luscious blossoms of crape myrtles. Be they white, purple, pink or almost red, the plump clusters of blooms set off visual fireworks from April ...

Left, the winged seeds of crape myrtle; and right, an American goldfinch feeding on crape myrtle seed. (Image courtesy Gary Graves) Each year from summer into fall, ornamental crape myrtle trees in ...

Crape myrtles have it all, from beautiful summer blooms to low water needs. Question: While driving along Main Street in Sebastopol last week, I was struck by the beauty of the stately trees with ...

Somehow, the belief that crape myrtles should be brutally pruned by cutting off their tops persists, even though it's inaccurate. Crape murder is a term that has been coined to describe this severe ...

Let’s say you were looking for the perfect tree for California gardens. Something that didn’t grow too big, that developed in a graceful manner with little pruning, that bloomed like mad in late ...

White, wooly adults (figure 1, 2) with pink to purple eggs underneath (Figure 3) can be seen in late spring. The first generation was observed in late May through early June using a hand lens or ...

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts. An artist friend of mine calls crape myrtles “living bouquets.” In the ...

Crape myrtles, an ornamental tree popular in landscapes throughout the state of Delaware, are prized for their beauty, exfoliating bark in shades of silver and cinnamon, and long-lasting flowers in a ...