If a person treated an animal the way
I've seen some plants treated they would be arrested! At
least an animal can run away. A plant is forced to stay and take the abuse and mutilation. Some have thorns to protect
themselves, but most are defenseless. Please don't abuse
your plants. Don't punish them for being what they are!!
There really ought to be a law!!!Would you cut a pet in
half because you thought he was too big? No! you'd get a
smaller pet! THINK ABOUT IT!
somebody wanted a bush! Well, it's
still a tree, saws can't change a plants genes. A
mutilated, abused, tree. If you want a bush, plant one. If
you want a tree, plant one. You can't turn a Saint Bernard
into a chihuahua!!
There are dwarf crepe myrtle varieties that mature as
little as 12 inches tall!
There are dwarf varieties of many plants. They are the
obvious choice if the standard variety is larger
than you want.
It just doesn't make sense to plant something that gets
8-10 feet tall if you want something 3 feet tall!
Although they are far from being the only victims of such abuse, Crepe Myrtles are more commonly subjected to this butchering than most plants I encounter.Crepe Mytles are a beautiful, and gracious "symbol of the South" if allowed to mature as God intended.I am appalled at the senseless massacre of these wonderful plants!! Its a horrible case of "monkey see, monkey do". If you haven't read it yet PLEASE read this article:
Butchering crepe myrtles will not increase the blooms. It will destroy the value of the plant, and make it plain, old ugly.
If you do drastically cut back your crepes you will promte weak, unnatural top growth that will droop from the weight of the blooms. Especially when it rains. (the blooms hold water) This ruins the beauty of your crepe in bloom.
The more you cut back your crapes, the harder they will fight to attain the size nature intended.
I have taken some pictures
to show the effects of abuse, as well as to show some
Beautiful Crepes that have been properly cared for. I'll
add a few more. This summer I'll add some in bloom, although a well shaped crape is just as beautiful in winter. Click
on the links below to view the photos.
If you want a small crepe myrtle
there are varieties that are just about any size you could
possibly want. Choose one that will mature at the size you
prefer. If you attempt to maintain a smaller size by cuttung them way back, They will grow faster, and usually attain the same hieght by the end of the season, athough the new growth wil be weak & unattractive, and droop from the weight of blooms.
Late winter is the best time to
trim crepe myrtles.Remove completely any branches that are
rubbing against another branch, or crossing, and any that
detract from the overall shape of the tree. Do not leave
"stubs". Crepes should have no more than 6 trunks. If there are more, remove the weakest, most crooked,or worst looking trunks to the ground. Remove the tiny twiggy little growth along the branches. You can do this by running your hand up & down the branch, as it is brittle and easily breaks off. You may want to remove the seed heads, but remove
only the seed head, cutting nothing larger than pencil
size. Some varieties have seed heads that are not very
noticable,
and it is not necessary
to remove them.
Although a young crape may benifit from a yearly trimming to shape and/or thin it, a mature crape myrtle rarely needs trimming if it was properly shaped when young.
It should still look like a tree
when you are finished pruning. Not like stubs!
Shearing is a lazy and ignorant way to trim your plants. It actually causes you to have to do more work, because it causes them to need trimming more often.
It causes a thick outer growth that will cause the inside
of the plant to die out. It destroys the natural growth
pattern of a plant. It looks cheap and tacky. it destroys
the value of your plants.
There are some plants that can
tolerate shearing better than others. A "hedge" is the only place shears are actually appopriate. Any one who shears an azalea, or a tree should be severely punished! Shears are almost never the best tool for trimming any plant.
Make a "stage" for your plants by
mounding the dirt in the bed so that the back is higher
than the front,if the bed is viewed from the front, or
higher in the middle if the bed is viewed from all sides.
This is especially important for smaller plants and
flowers, but will make any bed look much better, and more
professional. This also aids in drainage.
In a flat bed, with flowers, all you really see is the
front row. You can see all of the flowers if you mound the
dirt so the back is higher.
Boxwoods are one of the most
beautiful,
elegant, and maintenance free shrubs there are. Why do so
many people insist on ruining them? Boxwoods have a
wonderful natual shape, and if you leave them alone, are
virtually mantenance free. They do not like to be sheared!!
If you shear them they lose their natural shape, and often, all the leaves will often turn grayish. The more you shear
them
the uglier and harder to maintain they become. They do,
like human
adolesents, often go through a slightly "awkward" stage
before attaining their mature shape. Just be patient with
them. Boxwoods are long lived plants and they grow more
beautiful and elegant with age.
Plant the variety that is the mature size that you want and If you leave it alone you will never have to do any more
than snip an occasional stray twig or shoot. Note: The mature size
of a common English Boxwood is 15-20 feet. An American
boxwood matures at 4-6 feet.There are also dwarfs or
compactas that mature at about 2 feet. There are many
varieties, that mature at almost any size you could want.
Be sure to choose the proper boxwood for your situation.
Boxwoods do prefer some afteroon shade.
Mother nature can shape them much beter than people can.
If you insist on shearing a boxwood, shear only young boxwoods. Do it lightly, and no more than once a year. Early
spring is the best time. If you want it sheared,
there's no reason to spend the extra money for a boxwood.
You should just buy a cheaper substitute, such as a
compacta holly. Boxwood's natural, billowy shape is what
you pay extra for.
I've mentioned 2 of the 3 plants on this page that in my opinion, no southern landscape is complete without. Anyone from the south knows that the 3rd one is the Azalea, the "grand lady" of the south. How else would we know that it's spring?! They are virtually maintenance free, come in all colors and sizes, and most are evergreen. If you don't love them, you haven't been in the south in the springtime! We tar and feather anyone who shears them! If you choose the right size azalea for it's location, it should never need trimming. They have a beautiful natural shape, that grows more elegant with age.
Azaleas would be great plants even if they never bloomed, But when they do, nothing could be more beautiful! From tiny Gumpo, and Higasas at 1-2 feet to majestic Formosas, Mrs. G.G. Gerbing, and President Clay, at up to 12 feet, theres a size, and color, for any location! (Azaleas do prefer some shade.)
Southern Azalea Show!
Click on the Azalea photo links to see why the south is so beautiful in the springtime
If a plant is planted where it has room to mature, and has
the right amount of sunlight, proper soil, moisture, and
drainage it will need very little care.
Many people ruin plants by trying to do too much to
them. They create maintenance problems by poor spacing,
improper pruning, or choosing the wrong plant. If a plant
is "happy" in its location, the most it will need is an
annual thinning, or light shaping. People create
maintenance problems, not plants!
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