How to Trim a Crape Myrtle - Easy Tips! | Gardening with Creekside

[@candicespencer2021]

I do not understand why anyone would want to completely cut off a crape myrtle and destroy the beautiful shape! I love that flower bed in front of your home Jenny! Great drone shots at the end!!!!!

[@jenniferhooks2454]

I have 3 Natchez crape myrtles that are still young. Last year they were loaded with blooms and drooping very low. One even had a significant branch break in a little windstorm. So I very carefully pruned weight off the end of the branches. You should have seen the remaining growth spring up when the load was lifted! 😆 That pruning improved those trees tremendously. Don’t you love helping a plant look like it’s best self?

[@greenthumbelina7331]

Jenny and Jerry, thank you for showing folks how to correctly prune a crape myrtle tree. Even though crape myrtles don't grow in my 5a zone, the same pruning tips apply to most flowering trees. Unfortunately, lots of municipalities (including cable and electric companies) just chop the tops off of trees, even when they aren't in the way of overhead lines. I loved the drone footage at the end! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! ~Margie💚🦋🌿🌞

[@TootieT5073]

I loved the drone footage. I would love to see a full garden your of your private gardens.

[@Edu_Kate]

You and Jerry are such dedicated, hard workers.

[@rphjacobs9197]

Jenny…. I wanted to share something. Last year we had TONS of Japanese Beetles. They were destroying my roses.. Crape Myrtles.. etc. So….. I decided to try a remedy. Last fall I spread some granules designed to kill grubs. I just spread it out in my front yard. (We have 57 acres so I could not afford to do everywhere). We also have tried to attract more of a bird called a Brown Thrasher (known to eat lots of Japanese Beetles). We actually witnessed that particular bird attacking and eating the Japanese Beetles. Between the granules and the bird we have only seen about three Japanese Beetles so far and my Crape Myrtles and roses have ZERO damage. The Beetles usually show up the first part of June. Whatever you do, don’t put out the Japanese Beetle traps. Apparently they attract Beetle to your area. I have been absolutely AMAZED at how well just a little granular spreading and a few Brown Thrashers have done at almost ELIMINATING my Japanese Beetles.

[@kac6072]

What’s the name of the granules you used? Thanks!

[@rphjacobs9197]

@@kac6072 .. Scott’s brand makes one called Grub EX

[@jondebbiegraff6492]

Great info. Thanks!!! Loved the aerial view at the end. Great job Jerry!

[@socorrom5293]

Thanks for another great video & view from above of your property,! Crepe Myrtle's looking so much better & healthy! Good job. Hope you enjoy your weekend 💥😎

[@loydvlogs592]

Thank you for doing a video on crape myrtles. It’s one of my favorite plants in the garden because it reminds me of the south. I always see them when we go to Myrtle beach or Gulf shores. Yours look great.

[@rphjacobs9197]

That final drone footage of the Crepe Myrtles was awesome! You guys did an amazing job pruning them up. My favorite was the smaller one on the right. It is perfectly proportioned now! 😀🥰❤️

[@laurieanne9712]

This was so helpful!! I needed this!

[@shannonebryan5475]

I need to "thin out" my Crepe Myrtles too but so afraid it was too hot ! Well good to know, now on my "To Do" list ! Thank you Jenny !

[@GardeningwithCreekside]

Glad it was helpful!

[@laurieg5308]

I just cleaned mine up this morning. Came inside to escape the humidity here at the JerseyShore and saw your video! I’ve moved into a home built in 1985 and inherited my huge gorgeous crape myrtle that is probably 30+ yrs old. Some of the larger branches cross each other and lots of suckers. The blooms were beautiful last year..nothing yet this year. Didn’t realize the dreaded Japanese beetles like them! 🪲 Thanks for the info!

[@mrs.m4702]

Good morning, Jenny❤️! I appreciate your humble southern advice! Following your tips about the crepe myrtle tree has made a significant difference in how well ours have done. My husband and I had to transplant a few of them (amending the soil using Land and Sea; using Biotone; extra tlc) we’re so thankful to say that all of them are blooming and looking beautiful! Thanks so very much, God bless and keep you and your sweet family.❤️🌸

[@GALERYKICAU]

I always support you, everything in your garden is very beautiful, always successful and keep the spirit ❤️❤️❤️

[@patriciadorman382]

Love this flowerbed and those tall grasses!

[@anitahadley2871]

Well, done! I have always loved the Natchez variety and it’s slightly weeping habit.

[@TEXAS_4U]

Good morning ☀️ it's going to be a bright sunny and hot day but right now I am watching a wonderful gardening show and drinking my coffee and I hope all of you have a wonderful day

[@phyllisbrewer3818]

Thanks, Jenny. I have three large, old crape myrtles. Someone loped them off years before we inherited them. For the last 10 years, I have been following your method and they look great. It had been a while since I trimmed them. You inspired me to get after them and limb them up. I can now cut the grass without ducking, and the perennials and shrubs in that bed will be happier with the little bit of additional filtered sunlight. The vista through the trees is also much better. Keep inspiring us gardeners.

[@dianeb1963]

Good morning Jenny! Great video. We just trimmed our crape myrtles this week.

[@e-mae-w7824]

You did a beautiful job, good to see that women can trim also.

[@pennylivingston148]

This video brought back memories of when i had just started watching gardening videos, and found you. The first video I watched of you was you, pruning a crepe myrtle, 2 or 3 years ago. I can't remember exactly. Thanks for this video. I learn from and love all of your videos.

[@maureengee364]

They look way better more open now. Lots of fun with the power tools. Thank you so very much for sharing this with us.🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@janeta2559]

Fantastic demo on how to prune that kind of tree

[@dylanchernovetz2149]

I always love watching your videos. I’ve been trimming my Natchez crepe Myrtle this way (for 4 yrs now) and it looked a bit awkward last year. Hoping it will get fuller at the top as I keep limbing it up. It looked awkward because I cut out some crossing and rubbing limbs. But it was hard for me to make the cut 😭😂 I started my small tree from a 1 gal Natchez shrub, dreaming of what it could be ❤

[@myragooden8667]

Thank you Jenny and Jerry for this demo now I can go out and prune my Crape Myrtle trees which is over 20 years old and very big and beautiful.

[@heatherw.2751]

I get that some folks don’t know better when they commit crepe murder but for goodness sake, it looks awful!!! Why anyone would do it purposely is mind boggling to me! Yours look so pretty and graceful! Thanks for advocating against the ugly crepe murder! Have a great weekend everybody!

[@janicehales2958]

Jenny your yard is just beautiful! I have several HUGE crepe myrtles and last year they didn't bloom at all, and it really worried me. But this year they are amazing and full of blooms! I guess they just needed a year to rest up! lol

[@kathleenomahoney2120]

I live in zone 8a and have a crepe myrtle that is taller then my 2 story house. It is stunning and people always exclaim that it is the biggest one they’ve ever seen(even the tree professionals). My struggle is keeping the branches away from the house. I have a smaller one in the backyard that has a very dense canopy that I have been working on thinning. We’ve been in this house for almost 2 years.

[@KarenDGobsmacked]

Same...that's my problem too! Huge and too close to the front of the house.

[@LitlPoot]

thank you for this video ... I wish more in the business understood the technique of proper pruning but alas the murder happens year after year after year. Your myrtles are looking fabulous !!!

[@margaretpervier8357]

I recently trimmed mine and it looks so good. I’m like you, if I feel like doing a job, it’s time to do it!😊❤️🐾🐾❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@GardeningwithCreekside]

I love it!

[@judymiddleswart9350]

Oh my word crepe murder is prolific here pensacola fl.. lol I was walking my dogs early spring and someone put a cardboard sign on their neighbors 3murdered crepe myrtles and it said “ STOP CREPE MYRTLE MURDER” I thought it was so funny !! It looked just like you showed the pic!!! Crazy!! Thanks for great video!!!

[@anneandrews7053]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! People STOP the Crape MURDER! Jenny yours look beautiful and you did look cute standing all up in that tree pruning. 🤣💚🙌🏻🏆

[@christophertaylor9826]

Great tutorial on crape myrtles.

[@dianeb1963]

Good morning Jenny! Great video. We just trimmed our crape myrtles this week too.

[@kaylac3367]

Perfect! Great job! Looks great and the plants below will be happier too. 😀

[@denisewyatt1877]

Thanks for the update! I planted 4 Crape Myrtle last Fall and they are doing great this summer. I watched your previous video about pruning and it’s so helpful. The update helps, too! My question is when should I start shaping up my main trunks? I don’t want to cut any top growth off so should I let the trees get to their full height first? I don’t want to mess them up.

[@rachelidasetima6574]

Good to see a size reference for the age. I have a Nanchez that is huge. I’m guessing it’s at least 30 years old. Unfortunately they commit crepe murder in Florida too.

[@angelaschettino1327]

Great advice. I hate to see those crepe myrtles chopped off on top

[@marilynbaldwin2934]

We have our crepe for 2 yrs now we will be getting ready to for for a shape of a tree! So happy to see this video what was that person thinking? Thanks Jenny and Jerry!

[@Pervydachny]

Hello! Thank you for the wonderful video. Thanks for the praktikal advice. Great job! I wish you and your loved ones a nice weekend💐🌻🌿👍

[@maggiemarion8669]

Thanks for the very informative video. I learned a lot. I have a smaller tree that was a modified murder before we moved in and I did the the same the first year. found out I didn’t like it so I have been trying to figure out just what to do. Now I know. Yours are beautiful!

[@alcg3981]

Ugh Crape Murder ... saw it so much in my sister's neighborhood in Canton, north of Atlanta. Yours look great and Im sure those underplants will just bloom! Pun intended 😉😸

[@ellajones2792]

You are a trip love seeing your videos, and one day maybe I can come buy

[@nallen1833]

I feel more than a little stupid - I didn’t realize that they were trees - I thought crepe myrtles were just bushes. In southern Indiana I see a lot of crepe “murder”. I bought a small crepe myrtle last year - I love the idea of it becoming a small tree. Thanks so much for this info❤️

[@carolyngentry6162]

They come in all sizes and colors including shrubs!!

[@nancypatterson374]

Jerry to the rescue! 😂😂

[@PershijsmachnijKherson]

Hello, thanks for the great video, good luck 🌺🌺🌺

[@lindamiller394]

Looks so good. Love it.

[@angelmusic22]

When is the best time to prune crape myrtles? I live in South Georgia, zone 8b. Saving this video for my husband to watch.

[@gardensnob1]

Thanks Ms Jenny! I was looking at our tree yesterday, so sad that it needs a thinning, but unsure how to go about it. I’ll definitely start with sucker removal so I can see what we’re dealing with! Ours is much smaller than yours and looks like a shrub. ( It was a standard form when it was planted too deep by our ‘gardeners’ (insert ‘mowers’ here). I really want to salvage it since my husband had purchased it, and he’s passed now. We’re zone 9b/10 and it hasn’t started to bloom yet! I hope a trim and a little fertilizer may help.

[@lisatague305]

Crepe murder occurs in Pa and NJ also ! I love these trees .

[@pamhastings3857]

Love your videos What pole saw did you use?????

[@MomDroogs]

central Virgina, Japenese beetles have eatern our crepe myrtle blooms also.

[@juliafiore120]

Good morning, Jenny ☕️ Very well done 👏🏻👏🏻 I don’t have any of those 🌳 however, I’m thinking 🤔 I might need one! What zone are they? Love the peeling bark like the birch. Have a Blessed Day

[@SanghaGarden]

good informative video

[@lucpar23]

Crepe Murder is a real thing here too. I have a huge beautiful crepe myrtle and everyone in the neighborhood keeps asking why mine looks like it does and theirs are weak and break in storms. I have to explain they are trimming them all wrong. In fairness they see it done in commercial applications ALL THE TIME. It drives me crazy.

[@jasminelouisefarrall]

Stunning Jenny 🌸💕🌸

[@suepowers1139]

You need a Sawzall battery operated of course! I love mine.

[@KarenDGobsmacked]

Just beautiful! And, I loved the drone footage at the end! Question: what do you do if you move into a house where a Natchez crepe myrtle has been let to be overgrown, no shape really at all, and is too large, too close to the house? It is about 2-3 feet from our porch and is about 20 years old and quite tall. Is there a way to prune it or does it need to be removed?

[@GardeningwithCreekside]

I would first start with a good prune (in the same fashion I did these), and then see how it looks/does. After that if it still is too big then I would consider removing it.

[@Meg-12345]

Do the principles you’ve shared about crepe myrtle trees (eg prune suckers to 3 or 5 in late winter) apply to small crepe myrtle shrubs that grow up to 4-6 feet? I have a midnight magic variety. Thank you! Love your channel.

[@needinfo2614]

i like the garden tool kit Jenny wears, keeps necessary items handy - is there a link to that item in Amazon etc?

[@jgwood10]

It’s not from Amazon. Jenny talked about it in previous videos. Maybe check those.

[@kristinakeane7110]

Do you trim off your spent blooms in the fall to winter?

[@Kimicha-of7sl]

Jenny and Jerry, thank you for this. My crepe myrtles could use a little love. One thing I need help with is trimming gardenias. I have about 25 of them that are 15 yo Augusta and radicans . I just trimmed them back as I do every year after blooming. For the past few years they have had tons of weak branches and barely any leaves inside so trimming them by 1/3 leaves them as naked sticks. They eventually leaf out with just leaves on the newer growth and the next year they bloom beautifully but still no leaves On the interior of the plant. What am I doing wrong? Should I just replace them?

[@kristinastoltzfus6032]

Am I the only one that likes both? Too me it's not different then a topiary. I like when they are chopped off and when they grow back and have that weeping topiary look. I also like the way you have done yours. I do both in my garden in different areas.

[@anitahadley2871]

Actually, what Jenny did is closer to topiary than giving it a flat top. You would never flat top a boxwood topiary and remove all of the foliar growth. You limb it up from the bottom to expose the trunk.

[@mudchuk]

Me driving around in the Spring screaming "MURDER" in side my car whenever I see a topped crepe Myrtle.

[@bmoody82]

Have a pink velour crepe myrtle & I love it. Looks like cotton candy in the landscape when in bloom. I prune it in late winter like a tree/vase shape. At every commercial landscape around me they murder them & they look horrible.

[@snikwahify]

I see you have a Stihl pole saw, which works well. I have an extendable Stihl pole pruner (no chain saw on the end. It extends to about 24 feet and would make pruning you crape myrtles a breeze.

[@geaizee-JZ]

Do I have a crepe myrtle? No. Am I planning on any? No. Did I watch this entire video because it is Garadening with Creekside? Why yes, yes I did.

[@patriciadorman382]

Do you ever trim the tops of the trees?

[@GardeningwithCreekside]

No

[@BettyWhiteJr]

Oh the crepe murder, it hurts my gardener heart every year driving down the road and seeing the poor trees butchered. It’s staggering seeing how many people do it too, I’ll never understand why they don’t do a simple KZbin search to see how to do it right. No way in the world I’d spend that much on a row of trees and not at least learn how to manage them. As my memaw would’ve said…bless their hearts, I reckon they have that throw away kinda money, but I don’t lol 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

[@craigdennis9831]

Completely agree!

[@mariestoner7533]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Crepe Murder is such a terrible thing to commit. It breaks my heart to see those murdered in the South. Why would anyone like the knuckle look on these beautiful trees? Flat topping Crepe Myrtles also weakens those trees. There is something so special about a Crepe Myrtle trimmed properly with blooms and peeling bark…

[@loritagreene1075]

Thanks for sharing this great tip. I just wish I could get everyone to see what they are doing to their crepes. Yard guys always chop them like that. Makes me 😡

[@amyfrancois9121]

You need the power pole saw!

[@carmenkuhn3865]

My husband is crazy about crepe myrtles. I have several planted that are just NOW making buds, everyone else’s have bloomed long ago. I’m wondering if it’s too much shade. Also the worse lure for Japanese beetles at our house.

[@CS-bn4un]

Would give this many "thumbs up" if I could!! Wondering how I can anonymously send it to multiple "landscape companies," municipalities, churches....the list goes on and on....

[@oakleyjack7600]

You should change Brenna’s name to Shadow ! Jerry is always looking out for you, Great guy and husband.

[@Joe-vy3pu]

I have a large CM too close to the house so I prune it often. The issue I face is after I prune it; it explodes with new growth up and down the all main branches. Making more out of control. How can I stop the explosion of sucker/new growth after pruning? Thanks

[@debw9351]

I just read today that there is a product you can buy called sucker punch. That will stop those branches from growing if you put it on after you cut the branch. I'm going to try that myself

[@reneecampbell8092]

What is the white Hibiscus called?

[@GardeningwithCreekside]

That is Ballet Slippers, which I believe has been discontinued.

[@reneecampbell8092]

@@GardeningwithCreekside thank you

[@oxwoman8]

I'm with you on the "crape murder". It's just not necessary EXCEPT: if the crape myrtle is planted next to a wall or foundation. Pollarding those will control the root growth. CMs can get very large and their roots can damage permanent structures. (Yes, there does need to be a discussion about proper placement of these beautiful trees.) What makes me nuts is when municipalities plant them under power lines and city crews give them a crew cut -- just wacked straight across the top (I'm looking at you Charlotte NC.) Also planting these beauties where gazillions of seeds fall into driveways and sidewalks. Messy and a slip hazard! Please plant these in the yard or a planting bed like Miss Jenny did!

[@brandywright1092]

Mine have stopped blooming for a few years. Any thoughts as to why?

[@debw9351]

They may have reached their full height because the flowers grow on new wood. You could give a little trim at the ends but it might cause it to flush out a lot of weak little branches

[@ramonajolley1966]

Those limbs would make a beautiful natural arbor. One day I hope to make one. Thanks.

[@amyfrancois9121]

💜💜💜💜💜

[@tcondrey]

💜🧡💜

[@dorindajenkins7825]

🙋

[@VintagegardenandCakes]

No one in my area prunes crape myrtles correctly 😔 they either commit crape murder or don’t do it at all! It drives me crazy.

[@tanasuter5777]

Crape murder occurs way too often up here in Virginia, as well. Argh!

[@jgwood10]

I’m in VA also and every business park is full of crepe murder. My neighbors do it too. They have long wispy branches that bend over. So different than mine. I only clean mine up when needed.

[@MsCurliegirlie]

I live in Kansas and my crepe myrtles are more like shrubs. Can the get big in zone 5? Also Japanese beetles 😩😡😡🤬🤬😡😡🤬🤬😩😩😩

[@dreamagood8321]

I planted 3 crape Myrtles about 15 years & they just haven’t ever looked good , they grow straight up like corn , and then some times they bloom & sometimes they dont , they never have looked like a tree or even a bush .. and every fall they die out like they have been fried ! So last year , I chopped them all the way down til about 2-3 foot off the ground, now they look like a big bush 😳😳😳🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ What the heck !!?? ♥️♥️♥️ What is wrong with them ?? Maybe I should just dig them up & burn them in the trash pile .. I don’t know .. Help please ! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@fabioleonhardt]

Crape myrtle não tem pink.. Grape myrtle tem .branca .rosa só. .

[@jgwood10]

I’m not sure where you live but we have white, pink, purple, and red.

[@stephaniesharkey3538]

Our neighborhood landscapers trim the right way but butcher the scrubs Go figure?

[@whatsup848]

When you plant a crape myrtle too close to the house...you commit crepe murder every year. 😒

[@GardeningwithCreekside]

Yep! Knowing the mature size of your plants and planting accordingly is so very important!!!

[@MsCurliegirlie]

Japanese beetles 😡😡🤬🤬🤬😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@karenhart4316]

Oh Jenny ; my favourite Tree 😍 I love them ; thank you for sharing great video and knowledge 🧤👒what do you treat the Japanese beetle with ? as you said they attack the crepe myrtle 🥹 🦘🐨🇦🇺Karen from Oz

[@cgzone8]

Beautiful. cgzone8