Hard Pruning Crepe Myrtle

Question

I have three wild crepe myrtles that have reached full maturity. They have never been pruned. The problem is that the flowers shed into my neighbor’s pool and cause a problem with their pool pump. I need to prune them back about 15 feet. They are presently 30 feet on average. I need to know how to go about this without damaging the trees.

Answer 1

Crepe myrtles can easily take this kind of pruning without endangering the tree. We normally advise against this kind of pruning, as it can deform the tree visually, but it sounds like you do not have a choice. Prune it in late winter or early spring and cut out the branches you need to with a sharp, clean shear or saw, depending on the thickness of the branch.