This improperly pruned crape myrtle tree has undergone “crape murder,” which is when the entire crown of the crape myrtle tree is cut off. Courtesy of Leaf & Limb, a Raleigh-based tree care company ...

We all enjoy the colorful blooms of flowering crape myrtles in the summer. But it’s those same trees that all too often fall victim to a misguided winter ritual known as “crape murder,” the aggressive ...

Crape murder is happening all over town. It doesn’t matter how horticulturists talk about proper pruning techniques, each year more and more trees are cut back to stubs. Standard crape myrtles have ...

Crape myrtles are cherished for their eye-catching blooms and elegant shapes, yet a myth persists about their care. Many people falsely believe that severely cutting back crape myrtles to bare trunks ...

The latest threat to our landscape focuses on crape myrtles, that summer-flowering small tree that’s becoming more and more popular as the climate warms. An Asian-native bug known as crape myrtle bark ...

I usually wait until mid-January to write something on this topic but this week I saw my first severe pruning of a crape myrtle for this dormant season earlier this month. So, instead of visions of ...

Crape myrtles are hardy, low-maintenance plants that come in a variety of sizes and colors. To encourage summer blooms, prune crape myrtles in late winter or early spring before new growth starts.