Your Guide to Crepe Myrtle Trees: Expert Care from Roots to Canopy Tree Varieties Welcome to your comprehensive guide to crepe myrtle tree care. Whether you’re managing a mature landscape tree or nurturing a young planting, we’re here to help with professional Crepe Myrtle tree care—keeping your tree healthy, well-structured, and thriving. Let’s dive into the world of these colorful, landscape-defining trees. What Makes Crepe Myrtles Special? Crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) are one of the most popular ornamental trees across the southern United States. Property owners choose these trees for many reasons. Firstly, crepe myrtles are famous for their beauty. They bloom in vibrant shades of pink, purple, red, or white in the summer, their layered bark is appealing year-round, and they offer bright fall foliage before going dormant for winter. Crepe myrtles are also highly adaptable. Once established, they’re hardy and drought-tolerant, and they can thrive in a wide range of soil conditions and climates. How Your Crepe Myrtles Shape Your Landscape Crepe myrtles offer more than just color—they help define outdoor spaces in both residential and commercial landscapes. Here’s what to expect from your crepe myrtle: Height: Depending on the variety, crepe myrtles can grow anywhere from 3 to 30 feet tall. Spread: Mature canopy spread can range from 3 to 20 feet. Common Landscape Uses: Flowering focal points Privacy screens Street trees Accents along walkways or property lines Arborist Tip: Crepe myrtles are versatile and beautiful, but proper pruning and insect management are vital to maximize their value on your property. The Problem with Over-Pruning: Avoiding “Crepe Murder” At SavATree, one of the most common mistakes we see with crepe myrtles is excessive, aggressive pruning, often referred to as “crepe murder.” Over-pruning hurts your tree because it forces the tree to send up thin, fast-growing shoots to replace the branches that were pruned back. This leads to poor branch structure and unsightly, knobby growths at pruning sites. Another side-effect of over-pruning is reduced flower quality across the tree. “Murdered” crepe myrtles produce fewer and smaller blooms than their healthy counterparts, which can seriously diminish your property’s aesthetic appeal. Over-pruning also creates entry points or “wounds” where insects and tree diseases can attack your tree, which could ultimately lead to tree loss or removal over time. How to Properly Prune Your Crepe Myrtle: It’s important for property owners to follow essential guidelines to avoid “crepe murder” while pruning their crepe myrtle trees. Generally, pruning should be done in late winter, before new growth begins. And it’s important to focus on removing crossing branches and dead wood, rather than cutting back large branches. Proper crepe myrtle care and pruning can extend the life of your tree—and optimize its beauty. These basic guidelines are essential. Not sure how to prune your crepe myrtle properly? At SavATree, ISA Certified Arborists can help. Contact us today for a free consultation. Choosing the Right Crepe Myrtle: Popular Cultivars Crepe myrtles come in a range of sizes, colors, and cold-hardiness levels. Selecting the right cultivar ensures a thriving tree that fits your space without excessive pruning. Here are some top varieties: Dwarf (3–6 ft tall) Pocomoke – Deep pink blooms, ideal for small gardens or containers. Chickasaw – Lavender flowers, compact shrub form. Semi-Dwarf (6–12 ft tall) Tonto – Vibrant red flowers, excellent cold tolerance Acoma – White blooms, weeping habit, resistant to powdery mildew. Medium (12–20 ft tall) Sioux – Bright pink flowers, cinnamon-colored exfoliating bark. Tuscarora – Coral-pink blooms, drought-tolerant. Large (20–30+ ft tall) Natchez – Classic white flowers, aesthetically pleasing mottled bark Muskogee – Lavender blooms, fast-growing, heat-tolerant. Arborist Tip: Match the cultivar’s mature size to your planting space to avoid future pruning headaches. If you’re unsure what your tree needs, our ISA Certified Arborists can provide professional crepe myrtle tree care recommendations. Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale: What You Need to Know Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale (CMBS) is a sap-feeding insect that attaches to bark and branches, weakening trees over time and diminishing their appearance. Signs of an infestation include Grayish, felt-like insects clustered on bark and branches Black, sooty mold developing on bark Reduced flowering and limited tree vigor Unchecked CMBS infestations can lead to chronic tree stress and could lead to tree death over time. The ISA Certified Arborists at SavATree offers targeted treatments and insect management designed to reduce CMBS populations while preserving beneficial insect populations. Crepe Myrtle Tree Care: Year-Round Best Practices Here’s how to keep your crepe myrtle healthy and vibrant: Regular watering during establishment, then deep but infrequent watering during dry periods. Applying SavATree’s proprietary ArborHealth® both early and late season to improve soil health and nutrient uptake, and using ArborKelp® as a biostimulant to support strong root development and stress resistance. Maintaining a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the base of the tree (keeping mulch away from the trunk) to help retain soil moisture and regulate temperature. Monitoring your tree for signs of scale, aphids, and powdery mildew, especially during late spring and summer. Signs Your Crepe Myrtle Needs Expert Tree Care: Sparse blooming or complete lack of flowers Black sooty mold on trunk or branches White or gray scale insects on bark Dieback at branch tips Thin, weak shoots after past heavy pruning If you notice any of these signs, it’s a good time to schedule a free consultation and discuss professional Crepe Myrtle maintenance options with one of our ISA Certified Arborists. Seeing Something Different? If your crepe myrtle is showing other symptoms, it could be suffering from an infestation or disease not listed here. At SavATree, we offer comprehensive tree disease and insect management to address any issues your trees might be facing. Schedule your free consultation today. Regional Considerations for Crepe Myrtle Care Crepe myrtle care recommendations can vary depending on your region. Factors like local climate, soil type, and common insects all play a role in how these trees grow and what issues they face. For example: Bloom timing and duration may differ between southern states and more temperate regions. Cold tolerance can limit planting options in northern zones. Insect and disease pressures, including Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale, may be more severe in some areas than others. Arborist Tip:To make sure your tree thrives, work with a local ISA Certified Arborist who understands the specific needs and challenges facing crepe myrtles in your area. Our team tailors care plans based on regional conditions to help your trees live long, happy lives. Let’s Make Sure Your Crepe Myrtles Do Well From corrective pruning to targeted insect management, we’re here to help you get the most from your crepe myrtles—season after season. Our annual maintenance programs, including ArborHealth® and ArborKelp®, provide essential support by improving soil conditions and reducing stress that can make trees vulnerable to insects and disease. These treatments benefit crepe myrtles just as they do all species, helping ensure vibrant blooms and lasting beauty. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with an expert arborist.