What Time of Year in the Southeast Should I Prune Crape Myrtles?

Pruning Season

• The best time to conduct pruning maintenance on crapemyrtles, whether shrub or tree form, is in late winter just before the buds swell and display their first leaves. Avoid pruning in the heart of winter when harsh cold spells occur, as more dieback damage and tissue dessication can result on wounds exposed to very cold temperatures. Flowering occurs on new growth, so do not prune crape myrtles in spring or early summer, as you would remove the tissues that produce flowers several weeks later.

Regional Insight

• In the warmest winter areas of the Southeast, such as southern Texas and peninsular Florida, the end of the winter dormancy occurs earlier in the year compared to the Tennessee Valley or Carolinas. In USDA zones 9 and 10, complete annual pruning by March 1. Farther north, prune during March but wrap up by April 1. Crape myrtles growing on the south side of a wall or building facade experience warmer temperatures and may need to be pruned earlier than plants out in an exposed lawn or field. Aim to prune before the tiny leaves emerge, wherever you are located.

Additional Pruning

• Dead, broken or diseased branches on crape myrtles may be pruned at any time of year. After crape myrtles produce their substantial flowering display in summer, some gardeners invest time to deadhead the old flower cluster seed heads from all branches. This tidies the plant and can coax secondary growth to produce tiny flowers four to six weeks later. If the crape myrtle is large, deadheading is laborious and time-consuming and doesn't guarantee any reblooming. Do not conduct deadheading too late, past the end of July, as any new stem growth produced may not have ample time to mature and survive the onset of fall frosts and subfreezing temperatures.

Insight

• Crape myrtle trees do not need to be pruned to grow well and produce copious amounts of flowers, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension. Focus annual pruning maintenance to remove dead and broken branches and any suckering shoots that rise from the trunk or any surface roots. Also trim away any inward-growing branches that cross back through the center of the canopy. The excessive, severe pruning widely done by landscape maintenance companies in the South isn't necessary for tree crape myrtles. Even without pruning, the plants develop strong branching structures, attractive canopy silhouettes and lots of flowers all along the length of the sun-exposed branches.