What Is the Spring Month to Trim Crepe Myrtle Trees in Louisiana?

Crape Myrtles

• Many cultivars of crape myrtle tempt gardeners with their extensive variety of colors, ranging from white to dark purple and red. Trees offer multiple or single trunks with peeling bark over layers of red or silver smooth trunks. Some cultivars remain shorter than 8 feet while others easily reach heights of 30 feet. Nurseries throughout Louisiana’s USDA zones 8a to 9a sell extensive selections of crape myrtles suitable for the climate.

General Pruning

• Professional arborists and landscapers often disagree with tree-cutting companies about how to prune crape myrtles rather than when to prune these deciduous trees. A common practice of chopping off the entire top every spring harms the tree and drastically alters the natural form. This unnecessary practice, referred to as “crape murder,” can be avoided by selecting a tree for both height and location.

Spring Pruning

• Light pruning in late winter or early spring stimulates blooms and vigorous new growth. A second bloom season can be achieved by pruning off early-summer blossoms when they fade. Louisiana summers throughout the entire state are long enough to achieve repeat blooms.

Pruning Guidelines

• Always remove sprouts growing from the ground level for a single-trunk tree. For a multi-trunk tree, remove all sprouts and limbs at the ground level except for three or four sturdy trunks. Corrective pruning for damages should be done at the time the injury occurs throughout the growing season.

Dwarf Favorites

• Dwarf or semi-dwarf cultivars (less than 8 feet) fit most homeowner’s landscaping needs and are easier to maintain without professional assistance. The early-flowering, white cultivar “Hope” (Lagerstroemia indica “Hope”) grows 4 to 5 feet in height. The medium pink cultivar “Hopi” (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei “Hopi”) grows 6 to 8 feet tall with a spreading habit. The diminutive 3 to 5 foot “Centennial” (Lagerstroemia indica “Centennial") contributes bright purple flowers with masses of color. All are suitable for Louisiana's USDA zones.

Pruning Flowers

• Recommendations to encourage repeat blooms by pruning immediately after flowers fade are practical for dwarf plants. Considered a helpful practice for small trees, this removes excess weight from twig-like branches. Larger trees require more effort and equipment and most responsible pruning companies feel it’s an inefficient use of time. Professional arborists urge letting nature run its course by pruning the clusters naturally; they do approve removing crowded limbs while the tree is dormant.