Growing up in the backwoods, I’ve been working with crape myrtles for over fifteen years. These trees taught me more about taking care of plants than just about anything else. They’ve become as much a part of our outdoor lifestyle as the old oak trees my granddaddy planted. Out here where we don’t have garden centers every few miles, you learn to do things right the first time. These trees bloom in pink, white, red, and purple all summer long. Then in winter, their bark peels off like old paint on a barn door. They’re as much a part of things around here as the old oak trees my granddaddy planted.
Over the years, growing these beauties has become my favorite way to connect with nature and maintain good health and wellness. There’s something peaceful about working in the garden that beats any gym workout. Spending time outdoors planting and caring for these trees has become part of my daily routine for staying healthy and keeping stress levels down.
Finding the Right Spot on Your Land
Out here in the backwoods, we don’t have a lot of places to choose from, but crape myrtles will let you know real quick if you picked wrong. These trees love sun. I messed up early on by planting one in the shade of an old hickory tree, thinking it would be okay. That poor tree had a hard time for three years before I finally moved it to a sunny spot. Now it blooms like crazy. You need at least six hours of full sun – more if you can get it. In the backwoods, we’ve got plenty of sun once you clear a spot, but don’t plant too close to the woods where shadows come in during the day.
Air moving around is just as important as sunshine. I’ve seen folks plant these trees right up against their houses or barns, and those trees always seem to have problems. Out here where the wind can move around, plant diseases don’t get much of a start. But if you crowd your crape myrtle or plant it in a low spot where air just sits there, you’re asking for trouble. The dirt is pretty easy to work with, which is good because backwoods soil isn’t always great. These trees handle clay, sand, even that rocky ground we get on hillsides. But they can’t stand having wet roots – learned that when I planted one in a low spot that stayed muddy after every rain. Root rot killed that tree faster than a late frost. If your dirt holds water, work in some old compost or dead leaves before you plant.
Getting Them in the Ground
Fall is the best time to plant around here, though early spring works too. I don’t plant in summer unless I have to – the heat is just too much for new trees. When I dig the hole, I make it wide instead of deep. The hole should be as deep as the root ball but two or three times wider. This loose dirt gives those roots plenty of room to spread out. Don’t skip loosening up the roots when you take the tree out of its pot. I use my hands to pull apart any roots that are wrapped around in circles. Sometimes I even make small cuts with my pruning shears if they’re really tangled up. It might look rough, but it stops the tree from staying root-bound later on. Once the tree’s sitting right with the top of the roots level with the ground, I fill back in with the same dirt I dug out and water it good. Don’t need any special soil – that can actually cause problems with water not draining right.
All that digging is great exercise too – better than any fitness routine. I’ve found that an hour of garden work burns more calories than you’d think, and it’s a lot more rewarding than being stuck indoors.
Taking Care of Them
The first couple years matter most. I water my new crape myrtles deep once or twice a week when it’s dry, making sure the water soaks down to the roots instead of just getting the top wet. After they get going, they handle dry weather pretty well, though they still like regular water during hot summers.
For feeding them, I keep it simple. Some balanced plant food in early spring works fine – the kind with equal numbers like 10-10-10. Sometimes I give them another light feeding in early summer if I want more blooms. But here’s something I learned the hard way: too much of the green-making stuff creates lots of leaves but not many flowers. Less is better with crape myrtles.
The Cutting Back Problem
This is where folks get into arguments. You’ve probably seen those sad crape myrtles that look like telephone poles with a few branches sticking out the top. We call that “crape murder,” and you don’t need to do it. Real pruning means working with how the tree wants to grow. In late winter, I take out any dead wood, branches that rub against each other, and shoots growing toward the middle of the tree. What I’m trying to do is open up the middle so light and air can get through. On older trees, I sometimes cut off lower branches to show off that pretty bark that peels off – it’s one of the best things about these trees.
Fixing Common Problems
White powdery stuff on the leaves shows up sometimes. It looks like someone dusted the leaves with flour. It’s mostly just ugly, but it tells you the tree needs better air moving around it or more sun. I’ve found that picking the right kinds and putting them in good spots stops most problems. Lately, we’ve been dealing with something called crape myrtle bark scale – nasty little white or gray bumps that stick to the bark like barnacles. If you see these, oil spray put on several times can help, or you might need stronger treatment if it’s really bad.
The main thing is this: crape myrtles are tough trees that give you back what you put into them. Plant them right, give them sun and room to breathe, and don’t hack them back every winter. You’ll have something pretty that gets better as it gets older. My old neighbor used to say these trees are like good dogs – treat them right and they’ll be loyal for years. After fifteen years of growing them, I’d say he was right.
References
- Southern Living Plant Collection. Crape Myrtle Growing Guide.
(No specific PDF or page found in my quick search that matches exactly “Southern Living Plant Collection” guide; you may use the UF/IFAS “Crapemyrtle Gardening Solutions” as alternative)
UF/IFAS “Crapemyrtle – Gardening Solutions” Gardening Solutions
2. Schoellhorn, R. (2024). Crapemyrtle. University of Florida IFAS Extension, Publication ENH-1209.
UF/IFAS “Key Plant, Key Pests: Crapemyrtle” (EDIS) Ask IFAS – Powered by EDIS
3.T exas A&M AgriLife Extension. (2023). Crape Myrtles for Texas. EHT-075.
Texas A&M “Crape Myrtles for Texas” database Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
4. Plocher, L. (2023). Crapemyrtle Bark Scale. Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas.
(No single web page with exactly that title found, but you can refer to related extension publications about crape myrtle bark scale: e.g. Texas A&M’s scale pdf) Texas Master Gardener Program
5. Dirr, M. A. (2009). Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (6th ed.). Stipes Publishing.
(General reference; I found a related earlier edition cited in an Auburn University thesis) Auburn ETD