Flowering shrubs · pruning calendar
When to prune crape myrtles
Prune crape myrtles in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts. They bloom on new wood. Never top them (“crape murder”): it isn’t needed for flowers.
Crape myrtle pruning by month
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperatezones 6–8 | January: Wait | February: Prune now | March: Prune now | April: Wait | May: Wait | June: Wait | July: Wait | August: Wait | September: Wait | October: Don’t prune now | November: Don’t prune now | December: Wait |
| Warmzones 9–11 | January: Prune now | February: Prune now | March: Wait | April: Wait | May: Wait | June: Wait | July: Wait | August: Wait | September: Wait | October: Wait | November: Wait | December: Wait |
- Prune now
- Wait
- Don’t prune now
- Wait Wait for late winter, after the coldest weather.
- Prune now Late winter: the tree is dormant, and it blooms on new growth, so you lose no flowers.
- Wait Snip off suckers and old seed heads you can reach. Save structural cuts for late winter.
- Don’t prune now Fall cuts can push new growth that winter cold injures.
How to cut: Thin crossing and inward-growing branches back to a main branch or trunk. Don’t cut the trunks back to stubs.
Sources
Months are grouped into broad USDA zone bands, so local weather, elevation and the plant itself still have the final say.
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