02/22/2026
🌸 We need to talk about "Crape Murder" - and we promise, no judgment. 🌸
Every late winter, crepe myrtles everywhere get chopped down to knobby stubs. Maybe your neighbor does it. Maybe a landscaper told you to. Maybe you've done it yourself for years and your tree still blooms, so it seems fine.
Here's the thing: your tree is surviving despite this, not because of it.
"Crape murder" is one of the most common landscaping habits that arborists wish would stop. It doesn't make your tree bloom more. It creates weak, floppy regrowth, ruins the tree's natural shape permanently, and over time can make branches more likely to break in a storm.
Are there ever exceptions? Yes, honestly. If a tree is severely damaged, dangerously overgrown for its space, or has structural problems from years of previous topping, a trained arborist might recommend more significant pruning as part of a recovery plan. The key word is plan, not a once-a-year hack job.
And if you've inherited a previously topped crepe myrtle and aren't sure what to do next, don't panic. There's a rehabilitation path, and it just takes a few seasons and the right approach.
We just published a full homeowner's guide covering all of this: what crape murder actually does, when heavier pruning might be okay, and how to fix the problem if it's already happened.
👉 Give it a read: https://puretreecare.com/crape-myrtle-pruning-guide/
💬 Has a landscaper ever told you crape myrtles have to be topped? Drop a comment below -we'd love to hear your story!
