I don't. I know quite a few people "top" their crape myrtles, but I believe Neil Sperry says not to. I just take out dead limbs and shape it the way I want it. Cut out the suckers too.

I know I see a lot of them that are cut back ("topped")every year, but I don't and I get lots of blooms without a lot of care.

good luck!

I trim them enough to keep them tree shaped instead of shrub shaped but that's it.

I've also seen lots of people top their crape myrtles because it is "supposed" to provide more blooms but I think it results in an uglier tree shape.

excessive and improper pruning of CMs has ruined and massacred many a pretty tree. Topping them is a bad practice IMHO. This link may be helpful.
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1009.htm
Molly

i have two dwarf "cordon blu", which i never top, i just
leave them be

hopefully i can plan a few more this year, as the budget
will allow, and i hear its best to buy the variety that
will attain the height you want vs trying to keep a huge
one small by topping it

tesa

dittos to not topping. If your CM is not blooming, I suspect it is not getting enough sun. Good gardening!!
J.D.

It could be a lack of water too. From what I've been told, Crepe's can survive on little water, but to get them to bloom nicely, they need a little extra H2o.

As for "topping" or "Crepe Murder", I'll vote no to that also. Not only is a hard on the plant, but I agree it makes them look ugly, especially in the winter.

Thanks everyone. I think I'll do an experiment. I will give the big, white CM extra water, and not top off. The dwarfs in the backyard will get a combination of extra water, topped off and not topped off. I'll be curious to see how they grow this spring.

crepe murder. thats funny

i think i saw that on a bumber sticker once

"stop crepe murder" it said

tesa

I've always been against "crepe murder", so I never topped my trees.
But a few years ago, the complete top half of my 15 ft tall 'Tuscarora' crepe myrtle froze to death. I had to chop the top out of it, and it has been ugly to me every since. I'd chop it down to the ground if I thought the sprouting roots wouldn't terrorize me for years.

I would caution anyone in my area to choose carefully before buying a crepe myrtle variety here ... some types are just not cold-hardy in North Texas.

Randy

This site is a wonderful resource for crape myrtles; varieties, characteristics, pruning, and lots of beautiful pictures!

'Crape Myrtles for Texas is a collaborative project of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University, and the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association.....in advancing the public awareness, culture and science of the crape myrtle.'

Here is a link that might be useful: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/trees/crapemyrtle/index.html