Crepe Myrtle Pruning in Houston, TX: How to Avoid 'Crepe Murder'

Stop topping your crepe myrtles

Every February, Houston neighborhoods are filled with crepe myrtles cut down to ugly stubs — what arborists call 'crepe murder.' It's not a real pruning method. It's a habit that ruins the tree's natural form, weakens the wood, and produces weak, droopy bloom branches that snap in summer storms.

What proper crepe myrtle pruning looks like

Crepe myrtles only need three things: remove crossing or rubbing branches, remove suckers from the base and trunk, and lightly thin small interior twigs to open up the canopy. That's it. Mature, well-shaped crepe myrtles often need almost no annual pruning at all.

When to prune in Houston

Late January through mid-February — while the tree is fully dormant but before spring growth pushes. Avoid pruning after April; you'll be cutting off the bloom buds for that year.

How to fix a previously-topped crepe myrtle

If your tree has already been topped, you can rehabilitate it over 2–3 years. Each winter, select 2–3 of the strongest sprouts emerging from each old cut and remove the rest. Eventually those become the new structural branches and the bulky knots disappear.

Picking the right size for Houston yards

Crepe myrtles come in dwarf (3–6 ft), medium (8–12 ft), and full-tree (20–30 ft) varieties. Most 'crepe murder' happens because the wrong-size variety was planted in a too-small spot. Right-size selection eliminates the urge to top entirely.

Frequently asked questions