Don't be a Crape-Murderer!

Late winter and early spring too often bring a common but sad sight – beautiful crape myrtles drastically cut back to mere knubs by maintenance crews looking to make an extra buck or by homeowners who don’t know better.

“Crape murder” was coined in a Southern Living Magazine article in 1997.* The author captured the spirit of the practice precisely. The crime is one you’ve not doubt seen many times: a crape myrtle bearing last year’s seed heads with spring life already running through its branches butchered by chopping branches down to stubs, creating a gnarly knotted mess in place of previously graceful branches.

When a crape myrtle is topped in this way, the tree tries to respond by putting out many new stems to replace its former branches. These are invariably weaker and more crowded than the tree’s natural branching habit. It puts incredible stress on the tree to survive, makes it more susceptible to disease threats, and deforms it.

If you have previously committed this crime, there’s good news. In the wise words of Maya Angelou, “…When you know better, do better." Allow your crape myrtle to rebranch naturally. Within a few years, your crape myrtle will be well on its way to recovering its graceful form.

To properly prune a crape myrtle after it recovers, use proper pruning technique to remove crossing or weak branches. Remember: Never remove more than 1/4 – 1/3 of a tree’s canopy. 

I walk by one of my favorite crape myrtle recovery examples each morning. This beautiful row of crape myrtles was once topped many years ago. Allowed to recover for several years, they have returned to their graceful forms and now provide beautiful flowers and much needed shade.