Crepe Myrtle Late Freeze

My Crepe Myrtle was just looking great, all the bronze green leaves blooming. However on Easter Sunday down here in South Carolina we had a terrible Frost hit the area. The temps dropped to 26 degrees. My Crepe now looks as if it was set on fire and burnt to a crisp. Will it come back? I had mulch around it and after the frost I fertilized it again.

The same thing happened to my fig tree (photo). How old is your crepe myrtle? If it's fairly established, then it should bounce back.

I purchased it from a nursery in January. It's new to me but they had it for awhile . It's about 5 feet tall. Thanks

My Japanese Maples look just disgusting as well. :( And now after the rain the yard is so green!! Come on Spring!!!!!!!!

Nicole

hey bugbug,

I have been assured the crepe myrtles will set new leaves & bloom as usual, but they'll be late...I HOPE this is true, I have 20. they've all been here for some time, tho', i am worried about my large fig, too.
Foggy

Hey weege, my fig tree looks just like that! I know from past experience that it will recover. I just hope that the perennials that are usually shaded by it won't burn first!

So, my crepe myrtles look like they're dead, but you guys say they're fine. They've got some suckers (sp?) growing, which assures me they're not dead, but should I cut them off as I normally would, or should I leave them so they have some leaves until the plant starts to come back?

Personally, I would cut the suckers off as they could be robbing food and energy from the main tree.

I also worried about our Crepe. We just purchased this house in January, and the new leaves had literally just started coming out. Now the poor things looks like what you described... like it was fried. I think it's been in the ground at least a year and it's probably 7-8' tall. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I haven't see any new growth since Easter when it got hit hard.

I'm worried too, I 've now got 20 very dead looking big crepe myrtles

my worries come mainly because i see a stray branch or two that

are fine..fully leafed out , etc. These are not suckers, but they are down low.

the "dead" twigs when i bend them are dead for the first 12 inches but further back they are

green & pliable but no growth showing......

...I'm going to take a chance & prune back to the green stems & I'll tell you how it goes

I have checked with a few Nurseries and they all say just leave them and they will come back. I'm trusting them because right now the myrtles look dead. I guess it couldn't get worse.

Also some folks that live in the area for many years told me not to worry. We'll see!?!
I hope they all do come back.

Can we hope that there won't be anymore wacky freeze stuff???? All is recovering here in Garner except for my wisteria. Guess we'll see....

Yeah I just went out and looked close at ours... I notice the same dead twig look until back up the stems a bit. But I'll leave it alone. I figure this isn't the first time they've had something like that happen.

On a different note, what's more common for Crepes? Blue or White flowers? My grandparents only had blue crepes, but I seem to remember hearing white is more common? Or am I completely wrong?

Not sure in your area which is the most common color. Around here, it seems that most crepes are pink.

There is am old timey light purple that was popular and is probably the blue you are thinking of. But, I believe the watermelon pink sort of took over. When they introduced the white 'Natchez' that one became the favorite for a while but they really come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

This is a good website; click on "varieties" and be amazed.

http://www.clemson.edu/crapemyrtle/

The Myrtles in Myrtle are all pink it seems.

Maybe pink is what I was told, not white - sorry about that. And by blue, you're right it's probably purple. I'm color blind for blue/purple and green/red. One reason it's best I go shopping with someone who's not. Lord knows what I'd come home with otherwise, LOL.

Thanks for the link.

Good news! I noticed this weekend that we have new growth further down on the branches. The very tip of the branches and twigs still have the dead burned leaves on them, but I'm hoping they recover. If not, I guess I'll be doing some pruning.

How's everyone else's Crepe's doing?

mine are doing great! They have all leafed out again right up to the old bloom trusses,
I am so relieved......now to cut all the old trusses to get rid of dead leaves, besides, It's better to cut everything smaller than 1/8 inch anyway......nicer blooms.

Foggy

Mine still looks pretty bad. Some new growth but it is coming along very slow. I'm happy for everyone that theirs are staring to revive.

With this dry weather, I keep wondering if maybe the extra water has helped. Our crepe is in a bed with a drip system, so it gets water every day.

Thanks, I'll try that drip system and see what happens.

Need Suggestions! Just went outside to look at my Myrtle and on the bottom ,near the root we have about twelve new buds growing. Some on the stem and others look as they are coming out of the ground seperately. Do I cut the crepe down to the bottom or just leave it? I appreciate any help.

BugBug2-
Same situation, same questions. I'd hate to lose my
Myrtle and I don't like the idea of pulling up anything that
still has a good root system. What to do (if anything)?

Always best to just let things alone and see what happens. What is there to lose at this point? Same thing with one of my newly planted deciduous magnolias. Good luck!

Spoke to the nursery where I purchased the myrtle. They told me to clip all the bottom growing buds as they were " feeders". If you leave them they will rob the rest of the myrtle of its nutrients and it will never come back. Also to cut it back as it already had its first bllom. The good news is because the feeders came out it means it's still alive and kicking. I did all this . Will let you all know what happens.

My crepe (watermellon color) went through an ice storm and unseasonal frost in early spring. The tree was dorment at the time of the storm and frost. Here we are on May 13 and not one bud, leaf, or life-sign exists. The branches are brittle and the curly bark is no longer on the small trunks.
The 5 1/2 ft tree was planted three years ago and was nursery bought and bred to adapt to So. Western OH weather. Don't know if that included an ice storm though. Anyway, I found a ground sucker yesterday about 4 1/2" high. Does that mean the tree will eventually leaf out and blossom, or does it mean that the root system has not completely died yet? And can a new crepe grow into a tree from a sucker?

It is not unusual for a crepe to leaf out late in your area, freeze or not. I would scrape the bark on the trunk and see if there is any green underneath. If it is green just leave it alone and wait for foliage. If it is not green then perhaps the top did succumb but the roots still appear to be healthy since you have a sucker there. A new tree can grow from a sucker.

Ardesia,

Thanks so much for your input. It gives me hope for this beautiful crepe. I removed the sucker yesterday just in case it was sapping energy from the tree. Also, I spoke to a commercial horticulturist 4 days ago and he said to give the crepe at least 2 more weeks to show life. I would hate to lose this tree because it is so beautiful, full, and well-branched for its size. Many ask what type of tree it is when they see it in full bloom. The huge flower clusters drape downward and are mindful of ripe grapes ready for harvest. My crepe affords the chance have a little of So. Carolina right in my own yard. We vacation on the Carolina coast frequently.

seagull, I actually have a young crepe that has not yet leafed out. When I scrape the bark it is green so I know it is alive; I just have to be patient but, as you know, it is not easy. :-)

Hi ardesia, In March, I had two crape mrytles planted and to this date no leafing out. I scraped the bases of the trees and saw green and there is some growth (kind of looks like weeds) at the base. Twigs attached to the branches easily snap off and I thought they were dead until I read this thread. How much longer do you think I need to wait to see some leaves? I am watering everyday. Any suggestions or reassurance?

They really are such slow starters, especially in the more northern climates where you have had such late cold weather this year. As long as they have a green layer under the bark they should be fine but I would certainly call the place where you bought them and see what they say. Most places, even the big boxes guarantee their plants for a year.