Ugh...its winter! does not look like disease to me. The bay area has a totally different climate than Georgia its probably not cold enough for the leaves to completely wither. They should be fine by spring when they put on fresh growth followed by blooms.

Uh...yeah...I know it's winter! LOL! I also know they have a different climate, as stated in my original post. I appreciate your reponse and will be sure to tell my friends that there is nothing wrong with their plants.

Thanks,
Beverly

No expert on crape myrtles here but, were I to notice one of mine looking like that, my first thought would be some kind of soil deficiency. You might want to have your friend take some samples to the Ag Extension and/or get a soil test.

Hi - I'm no expert either - but wanted to share my experience - I transplanted a crepe myrtle at the beginning of the summer - it started out looking somewhat like your friend's do in the photos.... but got progressively worse until there were no leaves at all. I was waiting for my son to help me pull it up as I knew it was "dead" - then one morning while watering I noticed a little green leaf sprouting off the end. (I had even stopped watering this as I thought it a waste of water!) It contined to thrive and is now beautiful - or was before the cold made it lose the leaves again. So whatever is wrong - it will probably recover - they are very hardy - I might give it a shot of fertilizer and check to make sure it has enough water but not too much. Good luck!