From the delicate, paper thin, showy flowers to the superb bark and foliage, the crapemyrtle is a favorite landscape plant throughout the South. Introduced to North America in 1747, the crapemyrtle is native to China and Korea. It can thrive from North Alabama to the Gulf Coast.

The crapemyrtle is an adaptable plant. It grows best in moist, well-drained soils; prefers full sun; and is drought resistant. To produce large flowers and control larger growing cultivars, plants should be pruned before the new growth emerges in the spring. Blooms are most abundant in soils low in nutrients, especially nitrogen. Throughout the blooming season, additional flowering can be stimulated by fertilization and the removal of faded blooms.

Crapemyrtles can be used as shrubs or trees, ranging in size from 18 inches to more than 25 feet. They are often planted in groups, underplanted with a ground cover. The smaller varieties can be used as hedges, screens or in masses. When planted in this manner, crapemyrtles offer a grand display of color throughout the summer months.

Crapemyrtles are commonly multitrunked but can be trained to a single trunk. A canopy of foliage covers the top half of the plant, while the bottom half remains leafless, revealing the beautiful bark. The leaves are a glossy medium green, turning yellow, red-orange or red in the fall. The smooth bark exfoliates, flaking off in irregular patches to reveal various shades of brown to gray.

The flowers are the most prominent features of the crapemyrtle. They are formed in large panicles ranging from 6 to 8 inches in length and 3 to 5 inches in width. The petals have a crinkled appearance similar to crepe paper, hence the name crapemyrtle. Flower color ranges from white to various shades of pink, purple and red. Blooming season is from mid-June through September.

Crapemyrtle must be grown in full sun for satisfactory flowering and to reduce disease problems. While it will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, crapemyrtle does not thrive in a wet location once established.

Container-grown plants can be planted any time of the year, however they must be watered conscientiously, particularly if they are planted in the summer. Balled and burlapped and bare-root plants generally become better established if they are planted during the dormant season. Crapemyrtle roots remain active until early winter. Crapemyrtle transplants easily and should be moved during the fall or late winter.

Heading back crapemyrtle in late winter promotes lush new growth in the spring. Flowers are produced on the current season’s growth, so flowers develop even after pruning. Severe pruning is not recommended because it destroys the natural character of the plant and may promote sucker growth on the trunk.

A few pests, especially aphids and Florida wax scale, can be a problem for crapemyrtle. Diseases such as powdery mildew, black spot, sooty mold, tip blight, leaf spot and root rot can also be a problem.

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If the lower portions of your mature lilacs, which are most likely shaded, are losing their leaves the plant will usually become leggy and unattractive. This means that you have become the owner of an overgrown and large lilac plant that needs your help. This can be very unattractive with a large plant, and the common purple lilac can reach a height of 15 to 20 feet when mature, so they do become quite large. These older or neglected lilac plants can be rejuvenated by correctly pruning them. There are two methods available for home gardeners to choose from with lilacs in this situation.

The first method is to cut the whole plant back to within 6 to 8 inches of the ground during late winter, which for most of us would be March to early April. Severely pruning the plant in this manner will induce a large number of shoots to appear during the next growing season. Let the plant go during this growing season, but in late winter cut back all of the smallest, weakest shoots to ground level and keep several of the strongest and healthiest shoots. In this manner you will begin to form the framework for a better and healthier plant. On the shoots that you have chosen to keep, to encourage branching, cut them back to just above a bud.
The second method will be performed over a three year period. Begin during the 1st year in late winter. Start by removing about 1/3rd of the old large stems; be sure to cut them back to ground level. During the 2nd year, once again in late winter, cut out about half of the remaining old stems. Once gain make sure to cut them back to ground level. Also take this opportunity to thin out some of the new growth that has occurred during this time, making sure to leave several of the healthiest, well spaced new shoots and stems. During late winter of the 3rd year, remove all of the old stems that are remaining and once again thin out the new growth and shoots, keeping the strongest and healthiest. Lilacs typically bloom at 3 years of age or older, so this method will allow you to enjoy some blooms each spring till you have rejuvenated the entire plant.
When properly pruned, an older neglected lilac can be turned into a plant that will be a wonderful addition to anyone’s lawn or landscape and can be accomplished in only a few years. After reaching this point, pruning should become a part of the regular maintenance for your lilacs. Removing the oldest branches every 3 to 5 years will help keep the plant healthy and vigorous for years.

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Established azaleas often do well with no fertilizer at all. Nutrients are slowly released by any organic mulch that you use, so rely on this as the primary source of nutrients. Excess nutrients may promote larger than normal populations of azalea pests like lace bugs and azalea whiteflies. If your azalea foliage loses its deep green color, test your soil to make sure that the pH is not too high.
If a soil test reveals that nutrients are extremely low, fertilize azaleas in the spring or fall. Use a granular, slow-release fertilizer that is acid-forming and apply a very light scattering around the edge of the root zone of the plant. Never apply more than a few tablespoons at any one time; excess fertilizer can easily burn the delicate roots of azaleas since they are so close to the soil surface. Scorched leaf margins often result from overfertilization.

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