Why hasn't my crape myrtle come back out?

We have just purchased a home and it has about 6 crape myrtles which were pruned before we purchased. This plants have yet to bloom back out this year and I am wondering if they are just late to return or if a late freeze in our area this year has harmed them.

Why hasn't my crape myrtle come back out?
I am in Alabama and here the crape myrtles are just now flushing out. I would definetely give them more time but if you are wondering if they are alive, snip on a branch. If it is green, its alive. Also look for little "budlets" on the branches. More than likely they are just late from the cold. They might have already tried to bud out but the new growth was killed by the cold. You could just snip the ends of the branches until they are green. That will not only stimulate growth but will eliminate the areas damaged by cold.
Reply:Depends where you are. They will be back soon, mine just started and I'm in middle Georgia.
Reply:I live in the mountains in NC and we had a very late record cold snap. The trees are just barely budding now--that may be the problem (the cold). The other thing is they may have been pruned too early or too late. Try Southern Living Magazine's website--they usually have really good advice on gardening.
Reply:How should I prune my crapemyrtle?





If you select the right crapemyrtle for the size of the space where it will grow, you will only have to do minor pruning. Remove small twiggy branches inside the plant to promote good air circulation. You can gradually remove lower branches or suckers that grow from the base of the trunk if you want the plant to be a small tree. If you are dealing with an older plant that has been neglected, a heavier hand may be needed. Remove any dead branches and cut the living branches back slightly to promote more vigorous growth that results in better flowering.





Crapemyrtles are often injured in bitterly cold winters near the northern edge of their range and they are naturally one of the last of the deciduous ornamentals to begin growth in spring. It’s difficult to tell the extent of cold damage until growth begins, so wait until late spring or early summer to prune. Never prune crapemyrtles in the fall or winter, since it compromises their cold hardiness.





Crapemyrtles bloom on the current season’s growth, so they can be pruned in the spring and will still flower normally throughout the summer. Larger, heavier flower clusters and rank growth often result when the branches are cut back severely, and these flowers are often so heavy that they bend toward the ground. For this reason, we do not recommend the practice of pollarding or cutting the branches back to stubs every year.














How hardy are crapemyrtles?





Lagerstroemia indica and hybrids within this species are hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 9 but are often killed to the ground in severe winters in Zone 7. Lagerstroemia fauriei is reliably hardy as far north as USDA Hardiness Zone 6. The USNA hybrids that have Lagerstroemia fauriei as a parent are hardier than Lagerstroemia indica cultivars, and develop into large specimens even in the colder parts of Zone 7. Varieties that have only Lagerstroemia indica parentage, such as the USNA hybrids ‘Catawba’, ‘Conestoga’, ‘Potomac’, ‘Powhatan’, ‘Cherokee’, and ‘Seminole’, are periodically cut back to the ground by severe winters. Even if a severe winter kills most of the top growth on your crapemyrtle, it is capable of growing back in a short time. Since they bloom on the new growth, the injured plants are able to produce flowers as well. In the coldest portions of their range, crapemyrtles probably won’t be able to develop a main trunk and the beautiful exfoliating bark that they are known for.





If you want to grow crapemyrtle in northern areas, various microclimates and cultural practices can enhance hardiness. Avoid excessive watering, pruning, or fertilizing in the fall which forces new growth that will not have time to harden off and is likely to be killed by winter cold. Avoid planting against south-facing walls which hold and radiate heat and may cause premature breaking of dormancy during brief winter warm spells. Established crapemyrtles fare much better than younger ones when it comes to withstanding the vagaries of winter weather because of their increased trunk size and decreased tendency to grow rampantly late in the season. Crapemyrtles are heat loving shrubs, and may not bloom well in cool climates.





Our most recent introductions, which are miniature plants that grow no more than three feet in height, are small enough to allow you to take some measures to protect them from winter cold. After leaf drop, you can mulch them heavily with leaves, straw, or another loose material to protect them from extremes in temperature. In areas where snow cover is deep and protects the ground from freezing deeply, the miniature crapemyrtles are worth a try, even though they are far north of the hardiness range stated here. Remember that they need plenty of summer heat to bloom well.














How should I care for my crapemyrtle?





Crapemyrtles revel in the full summer sun and heat, so find a place that meets these requirements and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. They grow best in any reasonably good soil with a pH of 5.0-6.5. They are adapted to poor soil and don’t need much fertilizer–a light application of 5-10-5 fertilizer in spring when growth begins is beneficial for older plants or those growing on extremely poor soil. Crapemyrtles can be planted at any time of the year, but in USDA zones 7 and 8, planting is best done in late spring or summer when the plants are actively growing. Recently transplanted plants should be given a thorough soaking at the time of planting and during dry periods for the first two seasons. Don’t irrigate plants in the autumn to help the growth harden off before winter comes. After the plants are well established in the landscape, avoid excess watering and fertilization to prevent rank vegetative growth at the expense of flowering. Crapemyrtles are tough plants–don’t kill them with kindness!














My crapemyrtle is reluctant to bloom. What am I doing wrong?





Crapemyrtles flower most heavily in full, uninterrupted sunlight. Even an hour of shade during the day will compromise flowering. Frequent irrigation, lack of heat, and overfertilization promote vegetative growth at the expense of flowering. In extreme drought conditions or cool, rainy summers, flowering may be delayed until the early autumn.

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