The seasons in Oklahoma seem to be changing. Our summers are getting hotter and our winters are getting colder for longer periods of time. This being said, what was normally a hardly shrub or tree for our area has changed in some instances.
One of those is the Crape Myrtle. This is a heat loving plant that has normally been cold hardy enough to withstand our winters. However, this last winter (2010-2011) changed that. It was abnormally colder for a longer period of time causing a lot of Crape Myrtles in our area to die back.
Most of them seemed to have come back with new shoots sprouting from the bottom or only died back at the top. For all of you Crape Myrtle lovers (me included) this was a wonderful relief. These ever blooming plants are such a beautiful sight throughout our summer.
Now that we’ve made it through a horribly hot summer we have to consider that our Crape Myrtles may have to endure another harsh winter. There isn’t much that can be done to protect the tops of a Crape Myrtle but we can at least give them a fighting chance by protecting the roots and lower limbs.
Buy a roll of 24” poultry wire with a 1” hex mesh design and fold it in half. Use this to make a little fence around the base of the plant. Fill the inside of the fence with mulch, filling inside and around the trunks and branches of the plant up to the top of the fencing. When spring arrives just remove the wire and let the mulch fall around the base of the plant.
Hopefully, as May and June roll around you’ll see that your beautiful Crape Myrtles are blooming a joyous thank you for your efforts.
Debi Redricks
Michelle L. Cramer
Great background info and tips on caring for Crape Myrtles especially during cold months.