Jo
Crapemyrtles can be planted any time like other plants, but at this point I think you won't gain anything by planting now. I would wait till spring and you can research the varieties you want. My most popular varieties this year were the deep dark reds. They are sold under the trade names of Dynamite, Siren Red and Red Rocket. Also a couple sold under the trade names of Burgundy cotton and pink velour were beautiful. these were all introduced by Carl Whitcome from Stillwater.

just fyi, I will probably have them at the Jenks herbal and plant show next April, but there are lots of sources out there for them

Here is a link that might be useful: Crapemyrtles

jo, i was just at southwood an hour ago, and they still have some, so i think you can put them in now... (but you'd better not take my uninformed word for that!)

i went looking for the free squash, and didn't find them, but i did find a whole mess of lettuces and greens on sale for 50% off. i nabbed me some of them to supplement what i've got growing right now.

Jo,

Peggy and I have plans to plant 9 Crepe Myrtles across the back next spring. Peg researched Carl Whitcome in Stillwater and he does have a website and sell online, His prices are reasonable. We plan to buy a couple of the dynamite (dark red) and propagate 3 whites and 4 pinks from the mature crape myrtles we already have. I've read that propagation from root suckers is best done in the spring but in my stubborness I cut 3 suckers (white) yesterday, potted them and am keeping them moist in the greenhouse. If they look promising in a week, I'll cut suckers from the pinks.

Back in 1982 when I planted the originals, I fell for a plant catalogue's (out of Georgia) claim of a crimsom red variety. They turned out to be the same pink that has been common in Oklahoma forever...

Keith

I love the dark purples...Muskogee and yuma...is there any darker blue or purple?

I have 15 crape myrtles plus three that have begun growing where I don't want them, and 3 in a pot that I need to plant.

I know that advice from Duckcreek means more than from me, but if they can get some root growth now, and get established, they can really grow the spring. I have waited until it wasn't too hot, and have high hopes that they won't be ruined this winter.

I always get plenty of crape myrtles once I start cutting them.

I do agree with researching, but especially trying to find out what size you want. I have had a couple of purple ones that could easily grow higher than a two story house if I let them. I keep mine on the short side since I seem them as being more pleasing to the eye when they are short.

Sammy

I thought that maybe if I could get them going now they'd have time to establish. In the spring, it always gets so hot so fast, and I have difficulty keeping up with the watering needs. I killed all 10 of my arbor day trees that I planted in the spring, but my fall planted trees are doing well. So if I had my druthers, I'd like to get some now. Thanks!

Jo

I agree, fall is always a better time to plant shrubs and perennials in Oklahoma. They may not get a lot of top growth, but their roots will begin to establish and be better prepared for the scorching hot summer. I don't think crapemyrtles have a particularly rough time in the hot weather, but the more of a head start you can give them, the better. Just be sure to prune them properly! There's nothing worse than seeing those poor topped crapemyrtles in parking lots and drive-thrus. The right way to prune them is to cut back all suckers and selectively remove entire stems (trunks) rather than simply cutting off the top growth. Make sure to pay attention to the mature size and buy one that will fit your needs rather than pruning to restrict growth.
-Matt

Matt, I modify what you have said for my garden. I have about 125 roses now, and if I allow my crape myrtles to grow naturally, they will be huge. I prefer to cut them a little higher than my waist, and grow from there. Before I learned how to handle them, I had a crape myrtle with 26 long canes, and it was spreading more every year.

Now I select only a few canes, and cut them yearly. They grow to what I think is a pleasing height - one that allows you to see them well and also see the roses. A tall one will require your head to bob up and down to see the rose and the crape myrtles.

Mine are very vigorous, and this year I did not cut the side growth in the summer, so they are not as pretty to me as they are when I completely remove the lower side growth.

I think we can prune them any way we like, and they will spring back -- once have become established. I like the parking lots and streets in Dallas where they are all the same size. To me pruning them for what I want is like pruning a bush. It's mine to play with. They are so pretty, especially the white ones at night. I also like the white ones with my white roses.

Sammy

{{gwi:311748}}

These are two of my controlled crape myrtles. I just love the white with the white. I only wish I were a better photographer.

Sammy

Sammy, those are gorgeous!!!

Jo

Sammy, they are very pretty. I never could grow roses, I always had fungus problems.

Larry

Generally speaking the fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. They will have the winter to start putting out roots and settle in before they start using energy putting out leaves and flowers. Because our soil doesn't freeze very deep they can grow underground all winter.

So many beautiful Crepe Myrtles so little space...

Here is a link that might be useful: Choosing a Crepe Myrtle

I would like to make a comment about what has seemed to happen to me a few times. If I plant too early in the fall and new growth comes out just before a hard freeze, it seems to set the tree back more than if I had let it go dormant first and then planted it.

Has anyone else had that happen?

Larry

I checked Southwoods and they had mainly pinks and reds, no colors that I just loved. I wound up getting a Catawba seedling because it was the darkest purple I could find. I bought a little seedling on Ebay and boy is it small. I did see online that Sooner Plant Farm has them in quart size, so I may place an order for one then swing by and pick it up.

Thanks for all of the help and advice. I'll be sure to grab another variety or two from Duck Creek in the spring!

Jo

Jo, have you walked around your neighborhood and looked for crape myrtles? I would offer you some of mine, but I will be using them in my hillside. When you trim or cut crape myrtles, they spawn(create) new ones all over your yard. Often they are in beds where you just remove them as weeds, but if they are in the grass, you can easily transplant them.

Some people may not have any idea that someone would like to have the new little plants. Why don't you look around for some crape myrtles, and consider knocking on doors and asking about new growth?

If I were to do that, I would offer to dig it out, and give the homeowner a bag of potting soil or mulch or something in return.

You might even find houses for sale or rent that are empty, and make a trade.

Just a thought!
Sammy

I've read that propagation from root suckers is best done in the spring but in my stubborness I cut 3 suckers (white) yesterday, potted them and am keeping them moist in the greenhouse.

Plesantly surprized this morning while working in the greenhouse to find 2 of the 3 sucker plantings finally showing new growth! Took 6 weeks.

Still high and dry in MWC with our first frost of the season Wednesday morning. I didn't cover up the night before because the wind was so strong the covers would have probably blown to Texas by morning. I got lucky with only so slight frost burn on a couple of tomatoes and the squash. That afternoon a couple of the Superfantastic even had multiple blooms. Looks like I'll make it to next Wednesday (by the forecast)then harvest the green beans and squash for Thanksgiving. Probably a couple hundred of green tomatoes and several peppers. All and all with the fall planting and rejuvination of the tomatoes, I had a decent year despite all of the setbacks.

Keith

Keith,

You've been really fortunatte to escape frost damage for so long. That never happens here in our 'frost pocket' but I've just learned to accept it.

With the tomatoes and peppers in pots that I drag into the garage at night, I should be able to keep harvesting at least until the end of the year. Last year they didn't suffer serious freeze damage in the garage until the overnight low outdoors hit the mid-teens. The garage is not heated but is well-insulated so it keeps the potted veggies producing for quite a while.

I did notice the last 8-10 days, some of the prettiest autumn foliage has been on some of the crape myrtles. That's a good thing, because most of the foliage here is nothing to brag about this fall.

Dawn

I purchased a 4' Sioux crape myrtle in the spring, my first, and fell in love. In December my little grandson was 4 wheeling in the yard in the snow.....and ran over it. It broke off at GROUND LEVEL. Not 6" above, at ground level. Although no roots were removed, will it come back? Being a newbie, I didn't realize I could have rooted clippings, so I threw it away. Thanks for any advice.

If you want it to come back, just plant something pretty in there, and after the new plant starts growing, a crape myrtle with lots of roots will appear. When you pull it up, the roots will mess with the growth of the new plant.

That's a joke!!!

It could come back. Since there is nothing above ground, the sun cannot help it, and you have no idea what happened to the roots. I would gently dig down to see what was going on. More than likely I would be tempted to dig it out, and plant a new one. I don't think crape myrtles are very expensive this time of year, and I don't think we need to be as concerned about quality as we are with other plants.

SAmmy

Sammy's joke makes a great point though, which is that crape myrtles usually come back although often they come back later in the spring than we think they should.

You can either leave it and wait to see what happens or replace it when you see another 'Sioux' in the stores. I usually take a wait-and-see approach with plants that come back pretty reliably from roots, but if it is in a prime location and you don't like having that spot bare right now, you might prefer to replant it.

Dawn

i have a crape next door in a abondoned lot and was told I could have anything in the yard.

I was told one time that you could just take a cutting of newer growth before it's buds are all the way open, stick it in vase or bucket of water and it will grow roots.

I know you can with pussywillows how about crapes or other bushes?

The crapes nex door have never been pruned, so they don't produce suckers.