Q: There’s white stuff all over my crape myrtle foliage and flowers. I’ve never seen it this bad. What is it, and what can I do about it? A: Powdery mildew is the culprit, and it seems to be abundant ...

For vibrant summer color, few flowering plants can compete with the crepe myrtle. Just look around your neighborhood. Nearly every street in the South is lined with these blooming trees from mid-June ...

Not long ago, I received the following email: “I have two crape myrtle trees in my front yard, one about 25 years old and one about 10 years old. They are in full sun. They usually bloom later than ...

Question: Several crape myrtles in our yard are shedding lots of bark. Is this normal? Answer: Not only are crape myrtles with shedding bark normal — but beautiful. Often under the outer layer of old ...

Stop fertilizing and reduce watering in fall to help crepe myrtles transition into winter dormancy. Fall is prime time to plant new crepe myrtles and prep existing ones with mulch and pest control.

I usually wait until mid-January to write something on this topic but this week I saw my first severe pruning of a crape myrtle for this dormant season earlier this month. So, instead of visions of ...