Q.Crepe myrtle trees
Our crepe myrtles have not leafed out or bloomed this year. We did have a late freeze. Trees are about 12 years old and have bloomed every year. Trunks are about 2-1/2 to 4 inches in diameter. Branches, both small and large, snap and seem dead but I have new growth sprouts from the bottom and some as high as three feet from ground. Should I trim back to the new growth and let them try to recover?
Yes, your options are to trim back to live growth and let the trees regrow, or tear them out and plant new. If you decide to prune, you'll probably want to cut the big trunk back to the ground. Then you'll have a new tree growing with multiple trunks.