Crape myrtles are versatile in the garden normantranscript.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from normantranscript.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bring your crape myrtles back from the brink
Audrey Gillespie
The bad news is that many of our crape myrtles took a hit during the February freeze this winter. The good news is that most of them will recover completely.
Thanks to Texas Tree Surgeons for their generous help with this article. According to them, delayed budding and leafing out is not unexpected. If the trees were healthy before the freeze, they should recover completely, although there may be less new growth and fewer buds.
If no new growth is showing by the end of April, remove all dead wood down to the highest level of living tissue, even if it is at ground level. New shoots will grow back vigorously.