My "Pink Velour" doesn't show any signs of life so far. This would have been it's third season. It's about three feet tall.

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That is really surprising Bill. That variety is supposed to be one of the most hardy types.....good to -8 in field tests in PA. Providence only dropped to -3 this winter.

My new little 'Hopi' came through the winter with minimal damage, although I did have it bundled up so it probably barely noticed the weather. It's about 3 feet tall.

It's hard to photograph against the greenery (it's in a woodland setting).

The top four inches or so of a few of the stems seem to have died, but most of them are leafed out to the ends.

Claire

Sorry, I don't recall the Crape varieties that I've got; one is a deep pink (almost red), the other is white. Both look fine, and are leafing out, although the leaves are not fully developed yet.

The plants are pretty old; the white was the very first I'd ever spotted locally at a nursery, 15 or more years ago. Although it died to the roots one year (5 or 10 years ago) it's been pretty happy ever since, and is now a multi-stemmed shrub, about 14 feet tall. The pink, which is newer, is about 16 feet tall, with 5 trunks.

My vietx agnus-castus, on the other hand, seems to have suffered some serious die-back. Only the branches that hang over the bulkhead or are within about a foot of the west wall of my house are showing any green. That one may need some serious cutting back this spring, but I'm not going to rush into it.

Mine are all fine. Absolutely no dieback at all. All of them have significantly leafed out at this point especially the Hopi CMs. The trunks of each have significant diameter that may help in their winter hardiness. I'll take a picture of them this week if I get a chance. I pruned the Hopi crapes this Spring so that it really shows off their beautiful trunks.

I am glad to hear about these successes so far. I checked a fairly large pink variety a few miles from my location and it is also doing totally OK. I am surprised by Bill's crape--the pink valour is reported to be one of the most hardy of all crapes, good to -8 in PA field tests and Providence only dropped to -3 this winter.

Rockman, I am equally surprised. I haven't cut it back yet because I'm hoping it will come back from the roots, if, in fact, it's not a graft, but is actually an "own root" plant. Time will tell.

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Bill--I wonder if Tree Oracle has explained it.I have read that more mature crapes (with thicker trunks) tend to be more hardy. Maybe yours was too young? The other thing that the folks in PA who conducted the field tests emphasized is the importance of drainage. It has a huge impact on Crape hardiness in our marginal zones. They have test results whereby a crape survived winter in a drier upland location but another specimen of the same variety died completely in a less well drained low area. Is your drainage good? I think if you want to try a crape here you gotta get lucky--meaning you plant it at the start of a multi-year cycle of mild winters so it can get established---and then hope for the best when that especially cold winter comes back around.

Yes it's in a well-drained area. The entire upper garden slopes a bit to the west.

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I don't have a Crape yet, but I do drive past one in Cambridge on my way home from work. It has not shown any signs of life yet, either. Actually, I had been keeping an eye on it, but wasn't sure how late it would normally leaf out; I guess it may be toast.

I obviously don't know what variety, but it was 4-5 ft tall, stems a few inches thick; so not too old, I'd guess. Maybe the young ones *are* more sensitive. In this spot, I can't imagine it got much lower than zero this winter, certainly not as bad as the -6 it got to in my yard (for only about an hour that one day).

Rockman, I am encouraged that your Muskogee came through ok, as my low temp seems similar to yours. I really like the fall foliage and creamy bark on that variety, and its on my short list...

I grew my crape myrtle from seed offered in Park Seed's catalogue. I have been watching for signs of life and now it has leafed out but with many dead spots.

Here on Long Island, we had a winter that wouldn't quit. I had (and have, I think) two crape myrtles, both of which I planted last summer, and both about 3' tall. Neither one had been looking good. Two days ago, the Rhapsody in Pink (Lagerstroemia indica 'Whit VIII') sprouted its very first wee-tiny leaf. Most of the stems look promising. The other, Purple Magic, is still, let's say, reluctant to awaken. However, even for that one, the "scratch test" suggests there is life within. I am still waiting, and hopeful.

I was assuming that I'd just have to protect the 'Hopi' for the first winter after planting, but I'm now thinking maybe some sort of protection for the next few years. Hopefully not the belt and suspenders bundling I did this year, but if Bill's crape myrtle in Providence did so poorly I don't want to take chances.

Claire

I think the sensitivity of crapes is being overstated a bit on this thread. They aren't that delicate depending on the cultivar. Anyone in a coastal area doesn't need to protect their crape at all. Rockman had a great point about the drainage. CMs hate wet feet. This may play a significant role in how well mine have done. I have very infertile sandy soil which is exactly what they like. Even though mine are getting quite large now, they were little once and they did just fine unprotected. I've had the Hopi CMs and the Acoma for about 12 years now and they have survived many New England winters. There were a few branches here and there that would die but the majority of top-growth has done just fine over the years. One observation I've made is that they have bloomed much better after they got larger than when they were little. I don't think the winters stunt them quite as badly now as when they were small.

I haven't quite figured out the combination of environmental factors that is detrimental to CMs in this area. It's not just cold because it also gets cold in the South, too and these things are ubiquitous there. The cold doesn't last as long down there, though. New England has much more wind than the South. This could be a strongly contributing factor. The soil is certainly different. It snows there, too but not as much as here. The soil pH tends to be more alkaline in the South than here. I'm not sure if this really makes a difference. Basically, it's complicated. I'm not sure if there is a certain formula to follow for success.

Yesterday I saw some leafing out, but it was here and there. I would think that in another week I should see all the parts that are alive, although with a 40 degree overnight temperature last night, it may take longer! Then I can prune out the dead parts. So far it's less than 50% alive, but some living parts are more than halfway up the stems. Very hit-and-miss.

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I've said this before elsewhere on the forum, but I'll repeat it. After a particularly bad winter, not sure how many years ago, my older crape, which was at least 12 feet tall, with 3 trunks, looked completely dead at this point in the spring. I was too upset by its loss to remove it, until July 4, when we were having a party. When I got out to that corner of the yard with my trusty bow saw to take it down, I spotted tiny, tiny leaves on it. So, I left it alone, and now it's back to its old height, or more.

There are a couple of morals to this story. Don't give up on your crape myrtle, even if it's not showing any signs of life yet. And, I suppose, don't expect a mature one to necessarily handle winter better than a young one. Last, plant these where you won't be horribly disappointed if what looks like a small tree one year looks like a perennial the next.

Good luck all, hope those of you who have dead-looking crapes see them springing to life soon.

Update: I am visiting my friend in Hartford this weekend. His largest crape (Tonto I think) is about 10 ft tall. It is showing signs of life now (he thought is was dead a week ago) with some leaves forming in scattered locations from the top on down. It seems to be doing exactly what diggingthedirt describes. I mean, the scratch test indicates that the entire plant is still alive--and the small leaves forming at the tips up top would seem to support that. But if it is, I don't understand the biology here. Why the reluctance to leaf-out normally on a reasonable schedule? Is it possible that the tiny buds are killed during winter but the stems survive? So the plant has to generate new buds. Is that what causes the big delay? Or could the main stems be partially damaged in some way--but still scratch green--and the plant is using energy to repair the damage? I am really curious about this "cold-stunned but still alive" state.

"Is it possible that the tiny buds are killed during winter but the stems survive? So the plant has to generate new buds. Is that what causes the big delay?"

I like this theory. I think if the stems were damaged the plant would show this in the long term with additional dieback. I have other plants that are marginally hardy for me that are really slow to leaf out after a particularly cold, snowless winter.

I'm a lot further south than you, S. MD, but I have 27 different varieties of crape myrtles, mostly reds. I prefer the Whit series.

I had a heck of a time this year, after such awful cold. My sheltered crapes did just fine, but more than a few in unprotected areas died back to the ground. We're talking 10 year old crapes. I was horrified and just plain sick.

Given how they come out so much later than my other trees, I made myself be patient. It's interesting to report that those I really thought doomed or already dead are coming back from the ground, putting out healthy and fast growth. I've cut back the dead stuff and their growth rate seems to be incredible, even for crapes.

I did completely lose two Siren Reds that were in 5 gallon pots. They'd survived horrendous drought after the last 3 years, so they were probably weakened before my friend gave me custody.

I did lose probably 24 evergreen shrubs. I mean dead as doornails. Hanoki cypress, Little Balls, a bunch of fabulous yellow ones that escape me right now, and some others. So sad.

I also like rockman50's theory. It seems reasonable that the plant would put all of its energy into getting at least some buds able to sprout, and then use the new leaves to provide more energy to generate more buds and repair any damage to the stems.

CDFreeman: You really suffered a lot of damage, and in Maryland! I would feel sick too to see that.

Claire

I know this is an old thread, but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for how to get Crape Myrtles in Massachusetts?

Have you tried calling your local nursery and asking the tree and shrub manager to order one for you?