Crepe Myrtle Size

Question

Our crepe myrtle shrubs are 15 to 20 feet high and we are thinking of cutting them back this winter. Will they survive this extreme pruning or should we just leave them alone? We do not want to kill them. We were thinking of cutting within a foot or two of the ground.

Answer 1

We would recommend waiting until very early spring to do that. The concern would be if you cut them back now like that, they will start to grow and the new growth will be killed in the cold as it has not had a chance to harden.