Need advice from you Crepe Myrtle experts out there

Hello all,

I have a problem with the location of some Crepe Myrtles and would like to move them. I know that warm weather and summer is not the best time to do this, but let me give you the circumstances and then you tell me what you think.....

- The Myrtles are planted along a wall between my back yard and my neighbor's adjoining yard.
- On the neighbor's side is a large loquat tree that every year encroaches more and more on the myrtles and they have developed several issues because of this:
1. They are growing deformed and spindly due to push from the tree above and lack of direct sunshine
2. The neighbor waters the loquat very liberally and the wall beneath it is always wet
3. Consequently the myrtles have developed white powdery mildew on their leaves
4. The gardener has been trimming the worst of it off but it is making them look even more distorted

- I want to move them out from under the tree to another section of the wall that is lower, very sunny, and where I need more of a privacy screen between their yard and mine. The tallest myrtles (about 10-12 feet tall - though they lean considerably now) would be perfect size for this and I would love to see them reshaped to be more tree like and less bush.
- The other two myrtles (there are five that are suffering, four badly), I would move to the other end of the wall where it is also sunny, near a fig tree but not underneath it.

There are roses on either side of the myrtles now and I thought after moving them, I'd fill in the area with more roses (though I worry about them also not getting enough sunlight there, so may need to reconsider or be selective with variety).

So...lots of info there.....I wanted to do this soon as I just moved some skyflowers from that low wall to another part of the garden so it is now very bare there (the skyflowers were not tall enough to give privacy and seem extremely happy on the other side of the yard where it is a bit less dry and bright).

Looking forward to guidance!

Thank you!

Lee

If they're in danger of dying this summer where they are now then you've got nothing to lose by trying to move them now--but otherwise I'd suggest waiting until fall/winter when the weather's cooler and the rain's on the way. It'll be much less stressful for the plants and give them a higher probability of success, plus it'll require a lot less time/effort from you to keep them alive if you can wait. Since you're moving them from a shady area to a sunny area you're going to have a double problem--sunburn from a sudden change in sun exposure, plus the usual transplant shock. If they were smaller I'd suggest rigging up some shade for them for the first few weeks in their new location, but with the 10 ft ones I don't know how you'd do that.

I'd also question roses as a choice for replacement--I don't think they'll bloom as well in the shade, and they'll be prone to mildew & fungal issues in that location just like the crapes are. I'd find something that's more tolerant of shade & watering and not prone to fungal issues to put there.

sounds like a hydrangea dream home. ive had to move myrtles in the summer here.. you just have to water them every day to . our local nursery just had a huge sell on them to get rid of them so they are being planted now in our weather of 95 and above. all you can do is try one and see if it works. if not alot of leaves then dont have to worry too much over sun scorch but they are tough.

Thanks guys. I am concerned about them not doing well, but so far they are surviving at least. I will see if I can wait......there will just have to be an empty spot for a little while....maybe I'll put some potted plants there to keep me sane for the summer. I am not loving the idea of moving the poor crepes, but I hate to see them suffer the way they are. I've trimmed back several of the loquat branches to help a little, but don't want to trim it so much that it becomes lopsided. (grrrr.....loquat tree....grrrrr....and I don't even like the fruit that much! :-)

I did some research and decided against roses also. Funny imzadi, I wondered about hydrangeas, so that is great to hear that they might work (I just love them - to look at - only tried once to grow one and wasn't super successful but the spot I put it in seems to not do well by anything....nothing has made it there).

I also thought about azaleas. Another favorite.

It does sound like a perfect spot for a hydrangea--shady and lots of water from the neighbor. They ought to do great there!

Thought you might appreciate an epilogue to this story....

As you might recall, I wanted to move some Myrtle trees that were suffering from being blocked from light and absorbing too much water from a neighbors Loquat tree planted on the bordering wall between our back yards. It hung over and made a mess and didn't allow the Myrtle trees to get enough light......it was causing them to be stunted, fungus-y (I made that word up I think) and the ones on the edges to grow deformed and sideways trying to get light.

I had contacted a tree guy about maybe getting the trees suffering the most moved to another spot in the yard and was considering doing it before the Fall (when it was recommended they be moved) just to try to prevent any more damage and to save them. I wanted to see what the tree expert thought after looking at them before I decided though.

Well......I hadn't heard back from the tree guy and ended up having to be out of town unexpectedly for nearly three weeks. I got home last Friday night and I walked out to the back yard just to survey how much my yard and plants had suffered in my absence and gasped to see that the Loquat tree was completely gone!!

I saw the neighbor the next morning and he said they decided that no one really ate the fruit and the tree made a terrible mess in their yard (as well as mine) so they had it removed.

Thank goodness I wasn't able to move those Myrtles on my own and that you encouraged me to wait until Fall! Now they can grow in some peace. At least for awhile...he says they are going to put someother tree there, but maybe I can convince him to plant it a little farther in from the wall.

Thanks again for your advice!

Lee

Awesome how that worked out.

Wow, nice ending. If they will be getting a lot more light (depending on what they re-plant there) you might want to do some strategic pruning to fill them out and straighten them up.

Thanks for all this... I learned a lot about what to do with two of my crepe myrtles that are not doing well where they are. Maybe your neighbor will plant another crepe myrtle!

Ooh. Good suggestion. :-)