How to spruce up my Crape Myrtles and Rose Bushes?

If you have crape myrtles, they have been gorgeous this year blooming their hearts out, remember to deadhead spent blooms to speed to the next bloom cycle. Crapes will re-bloom four to six weeks after deadheading and will bloom well into fall. Removing the old bloom will keep the plant from going into seed production and wasting needed blooming energy and nutrients. Also the seed heads are much heavier than flower heads and will weigh the branches down especially during heavy rains and during a thunderstorm could cause branches to break. To deadhead crapes remove the spent flower head just behind the entire cluster leaving as much of the branch as possible but still shaping as you go. If you are growing the plant as a multi-branched tree with the leaves removed from the lower branches remove any growth from the lower two-thirds of the tree to keep the trunk clean. Crapes are notorious for sprouting from the base, always remove the new branches as soon as possible as these new branches will only take needed nutrients from the mother plant. Now is also a good time to prune back rosebushes to get them ready for their beautiful fall blooms. Remove at least a third of the bush cutting back to stems the size of a pencil on hybrid teas shaping as you go. Make the cuts above outward facing buds or leaf junctures. Both crapes and rosebushes should be fertilized now to provide needed nutrients to see them through the fall season.

Til next time, Vicki