Lagerstromia faureii at UT Gardens in Knoxville, TN

It’s no secret that in many areas with cold winters (USDA hardiness zones 6-9), hardy crape myrtle cultivars are now available. In northern areas like eastern Maryland and northern VA, crape myrtles have been prospering for two decades and more. However, there is one rule regarding winter care — “Don’t Touch”. Hold off all pruning of crape myrtles until March 1 or later.

Removal of seed capsules is ok, but not totally necessary unless you demand a litter free garden. All other pruning should wait until early spring. A common practice around shopping malls and public areas is “crape murder”; this drastic pruning should be outlawed. A landscaper lops back crape myrtles to 5-6 feet so that they don’t block the view of store signage. This practice is not recommended as it greatly limits the plant’s lifespan and branch wood hardiness.

Landscapers committing crape murder during the traditional frigid months of January and February  wind up killing the plant to the ground. Likely, plants will suckered from the base and flowered the subsequent summer about a month or more later. Yes, hardy crape myrtles are  tough plants despite human error.

If you must move an established crape myrtle to another location, wait until early spring. Transplanting a crape myrtle should not be necessary as replacement cost is low. It’s a lot easier to start over with a new shrub or tree form. Yes a new plant starts off smaller, but how quickly they size up.

In northeastern cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington or Baltimore crape myrtles are rated as hardy perennials. Expect an occasional winter when they will dieback to the ground. Some of the hardiest cultivars were developed at the U.S. National Arboretum. If you want to start out with just 3 or 4 cultivars, ‘Natchez’ and ‘Muskgoee’ are among the hardiest tree and ‘Acoma’ and ‘Osage’ shrub types.