• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Pruning Crape Myrtle – the Basics

January 3, 2019 by Jeanne

Pruning crape myrtle? I was under the impression that pruning crape myrtle was a “don’t.”  My local Cooperative Extension, however, sent out a little meme that said that January is a good month for pruning many bushes, including crape myrtle. I decided to investigate and came up with these pruning basics for the beautiful if often mis-pruned, crape myrtle.

pruning crape myrtle
My crape myrtle during the summer. They really do need to be pruned.

All About Pruning Crape Myrtle

Crape murder.

It’s a phrase used to describe what happens to poorly pruned crape myrtle trees. I’ve often heard it used to describe the row of crape myrtles in the bank parking lot in our town. Each year, someone hacks off the tops of the plants into a flat-top crewcut to make the tall graceful trees look like a shrubby hedge.  You can spot it a mile away; thick treetrunk stems, spindly shoots on top, a plant deformed by poor judgment and ignorance.

Pruning crape myrtles used to be something I avoided, but this year, when the local Cooperative Extension Office sent over a little meme listing shrubs to prune in January and I saw crape myrtle listed, I decided to investigate. I always thought pruning crepe myrtles was a ‘don’t’ like never wear white shoes before Mother’s Day or after Labor Day. Or is that still a don’t? My mother would have said it was a don’t.

Judicious pruning of crape myrtle trees actually helps them bloom better. Unlike many other shrubs, crape myrtles bloom on new wood. This means that the flowers you see over the summer develop on new shoots. Pruning stimulates the growth response, which encourages the main trunks to push forth new stems and flowers.

My own patch of crape myrtles, planted about nine years ago, has become quite thick and overgrown. Terrified to commit crape murder, I’ve let the plants send us whatever shoots they chose to push skyward. I left the tangled mess of thin stalks, old branches, and multiple trunks to fend for themselves.

How to Prune Crape Myrtle

The goal of pruning crape myrtle is to open up the crown of the tree and allow light and air to circulate. Begin at the bottom and cut off any extra trunks and suckers. Then, reduce any crossing branches and interior branches. Remove thin, weak, or diseased branches. Pick up all the trimmings and branches and discard them in the trash.

Step back and pause. Go slowly. Always cut less than you think. You can always cut more off later but like a haircut on a person, you can’t make it grow back if you lop too much off!

Some people like a nice smooth trunk for a tree shape on crape myrtle. To create a trunk-like effect, cut off the lower branches.

Did you successfully prune your crape myrtle this year? I plan to head out into the garden by late January for my pruning expedition. I’d love to hear how you do with your crape myrtle.

Just remember please…say no to ‘crape murder’ and prune with care.

  • What Is Pruning?
  • Pruning Tools
  • When to Prune Trees, Shrubs and Flowers

Filed Under: Home Garden Tips

Previous Post: « Cold and Flu Soup Recipe
Next Post: Recipe for Marinated Mushrooms »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

a watering can next to a seed tray on a sidewalk

What Veggies Can I Plant Now?

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

butternut squash growing in a raised garden bed

How to Grow Butternut Squash Organically

Learning how to grow butternut squash organically ensures you know how to grow this tasty, nutritious vegetable in your home garden. I’ll share with you some basic information on growing butternut squash, followed by some organic gardening tips that have been helpful for me here at Seven Oaks Farm in dealing with the various pests…

Read More

herbs in a pink dish

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea

Make the perfect cup of herbal tea, right from your own garden! In May, I gave two free talks on how to grow, harvest, dry, and create your very own herbal teas. This lecture proved so popular that I recorded the narration and uploaded it to YouTube. You can view it below: Supplies to Make…

Read More

tent caterpillars on a pear tree

How to Get Rid of Tent Caterpillars

I spent last Saturday morning getting rid of Eastern tent caterpillars from the apple and pear trees in the orchard here on the farm. Malacosoma americanum, the Eastern tent caterpillar, is a regular visitor each spring. We first spot the shimmery webs on a clear spring day. The small ‘tents’ built by the caterpillars quickly…

Read More

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

Raised bed vegetable garden soil soil needs to be replenished periodically. If you’ve done your job right and selected great soil, and amended it with nice compost, you’re going to have super garden soil for the first few years. Because you don’t walk on a raised bed garden the way that you do with typical…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme