1. The crepe myrtle at left had been rounded off the previous year. Horticulturist Stewart Winslow prepares to fix it.
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2. He thins out the twiggy growth and clustered stubs, leaving one or two shoots at the end of each limb.
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3. Soon these shoots will be as thick as the nicely spaced limbs below them, becoming new main branches.
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4. During the first summer of restoration, the plant often grows more flowers than it can support. Stewart removes the weakest branches and opens up the center. You'll never see this beautiful bark if you chop down your tree each spring.
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The Right Way To Prune
For a beautiful plant, follow these guidelines.
Prune in late winter. February is ideal.
Remove suckers at the base, crossing or rubbing branches, and branches growing
inward toward the center of the plant.
As the tree grows, gradually remove all side branches from the main trunks up to
a height of 5 feet or so.
Cut back to another branch, to just above an outward-facing bud on a branch,
or to the branch collar (a swollen area where the branch joins the trunk). Never
leave lone or clustered stubs.
Try to remove unwanted branches before they get thicker than a pencil.
It's okay but unnecessary to cut off old seedheads.
