I am biased when it comes to crape myrtles. I just don’t love them. I find them messy; they drop tons of useless berries and flowers that blow around everywhere, and since they are non-natives, they don’t contribute as much to the food chain as a keystone species like an oak would, and they send out suckers that can overtake a plot.
But lots of people love them. They have colorful blooms that can last from late spring all the way until fall, their umbrella-like shape is attractive in the landscape (even in the winter), and they are very tolerant of heat, humidity, and even pollution. So, I’ll concede that while this isn’t the plant for me, I can understand its appeal for others.
But in the late winter or early spring, when crape myrtles are pruned, it is often done incorrectly, and they are truly a blight on the landscape.
We’ve all seen it: the tops are lopped off, leaving what look like dead sticks jutting up out of the ground. This is what is colloquially called “crape murder.” When reduced to this stark form, while birds can perch on the unsightly stumps, they do not provide nesting spots or shelter for birds or insects, so they are not much use to wildlife.
What Is “Crape Murder” — and Why Do People Do It?
Crape murder is the act of severely pruning a crape myrtle by chopping off all the main trunks, usually at head height, leaving thick, blunt stubs. The thought is that pruning this way will lead to more blooms and help control the height of the plant, when in fact it disfigures the tree’s natural shape, creates weak, willow-like branches, allows entry paths for disease and pathogens, and causes the tree to form unattractive “knuckles.”
Stop the Madness: How to Prune a Crape Myrtle Properly
First off, it’s important to know that some crape myrtles can get quite large. In ideal growing conditions, some varieties can reach 25 feet in height and 20 feet in width. If you don’t have room for a tree that size but want one in your landscape, be sure to buy a variety that is compact and will fit your environment when mature. If you inherit a tree that is too large, either for the space or for what you desire, it’s better to remove the tree than commit crape murder.
Like most trees, crape myrtles benefit from pruning in the late winter or early spring. You will want to start shaping the tree when it is young so that it forms a nice structure as it matures.
Here’s how to prune a crape myrtle so it stays healthy and beautiful:
First, remove any suckers that are growing up from the base, since they zap energy from the tree. Make your cuts as close to the base as you can.
Next, if there are two branches that are rubbing or crossing each other, remove one of the two. This will open up the trunk and help prevent powdery mildew, a common disease that affects crape myrtles. With a young tree, this is also the time when you want to decide what the main trunks are going to be. A good rule of thumb is that you want an odd number, say three or five, of main trunks. So choose your main stems and prune away any extras.
After that, remove any small branches growing off the main trunks by cutting them close to where they meet the trunk. For large specimens, if you want to form an upright tree structure, remove any small branches that are four feet or lower off the ground, but you can go higher if you want your tree to have a more open footprint. This will help shape the tree and encourage it to grow upright instead of outward.
That’s it! While it may take a little more elbow grease, properly pruning a crape myrtle will create a beautiful tree—heck, maybe I’ll even become a fan.
