Crepe Myrtle or Crape Myrtle: Which Spelling Actually Right?
You’re typing an email to your landscaper and you stop. Is it crepe myrtle or crape myrtle? You’ve seen both spellings everywhere. Garden centers use one. Your neighbor uses the other. And you’re sitting there wondering if one is wrong. I’ve had this exact moment. Send texts with both spellings in the same conversation. It […]
Crepe Myrtle Pruning: (Here’s What Saved My Tree)
My landscaper wanted to cut my crepe myrtle down to stumps. Showed me exactly where he’d chop—about 4 feet from the ground in a straight line across all branches. I almost said yes. Then someone on Reddit mentioned “crape murder” and my entire approach changed. I started researching crepe myrtle pruning like my tree’s life […]
Crepe Myrtle Care: Why Mine Looked Like a Q-Tip (And How I Fixed It)
My neighbor hired a landscaper who chopped his crepe myrtles into stumps. Every single branch cut at the same height like someone took hedge trimmers to perfectly healthy trees. He paid $300 for that butchering. Six months later, his trees looked like Q-tips with weak shoots sprouting everywhere. Meanwhile, my untouched trees developed into gorgeous […]
Crepe Myrtle Bark: Peeling, Problems, Scale Treatment, and Care Guide
You’re staring at your tree wondering if something’s wrong. The crepe myrtle bark is peeling. Maybe it’s turning black. Maybe you see white fuzzy stuff all over it. And you’re asking yourself—is this normal or do I need to fix something? I had the same panic three summers ago. My neighbor told me the tree […]
Crepe Myrtle India: Lagerstroemia indica Guide
I’ll be straight with you – when I first heard about crepe myrtle india, I thought it was just another flowering tree. Boy, was I wrong. This tree has completely changed how I think about adding color to landscapes. And here’s the thing most people don’t know: the crepe myrtle scientific name is Lagerstroemia indica, […]
What Crepe Myrtle Leaves Actually Look Like (And Why Mine Keep Changing Colors)
I remember the first time I planted a crape myrtle in my yard. I was standing there, staring at these weird reddish-bronze leaves, thinking I’d bought a sick plant. Turns out, that’s just how crepe myrtle leaves start their journey. Let me break down everything you need to know about these leaves so you don’t […]