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T O P I C     R E V I E W AvonMom We have some HUGE Crepe Myrtle trees on the west side of our hosue covering the kitchen window to keep that afternoon sun out. But these things have taken on a mind of their own...they are very tall and the tops have spread over onto our neighbors side of the yard. When can we prune these monsters? We have been here 3 years and I am not sure we have ever done it. When we prune how much do we cut off? Also, we have one lonely rose bush against the fence in our backyard and again we haven't pruned it ina long time. I don't know why the previous owners put it there...there is nothing else around it...I guess they wanted it to grow against the fence but they never attached it. Anyway, we have small children and I am afraid they are going to stick themselves with it. We want to move it...but do we prune it first and then move it? How long in between? Can you tell I haven't a clue what to do with green stuff!!! SAS Dear AvonMom -- Denise's computer keyboard is sick, so I am answering your questions today, with some general advice: 1. Crape Myrtles are beautiful trees -- the large cultivars can grow to be very tall; it's their natural state to do so, and many times gardeners do not realize how big crapes can grow when planting them as young young trees in certain areas. Most arborists do not recommend "topping" any trees, especially crape myrtles, but using selective "natural pruning" -- pruning only to remove small branches & suckers from the bottom of the trunks. The general rule of thumb is never to prune from the top any branches thicker than a pencil. (This, I learned, after years of badly whacking the tops off our crape myrtles!) If it's really bothering you, study the shape of the tree, and trim off judiciously only the thinnest branches spreading into your neighbor's yard -- just make sure you do NOT uniformly "top" the entire tree (which causes the ugly "witches' broom" effect to the shape of the tree, which is most evident in winter when the leaves have fallen). Remember a crape myrtle is a beautiful tree, and most trees do not look good topped off. Here are a few websites which has more information & pictures about crape myrtle pruning: <A HREF="http://dallas.tamu.edu/woody/cmyrtle/pruning.html" TARGET=_blank>http://dallas.tamu.edu/woody/cmyrtle/pruning.html http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1009.htm 2. As far as roses, I'm no an expert, but know that some recommend major pruning at the end of winter/early spring, with the first flush of new cane growth, and don't recommend overall rose bush pruning in fall (only selective pruning of dead and straggly stems) due to the chance of new growth being killed by frost. As far as transplanting, if the rose is of an advanced size & age, you will definitely need to dig *deep* around the roots (some have very deep tap roots) to lessen the trauma of transplant shock. Many rosarians recommend transplanting in late-fall or early winter, when the rose is completely dormant. Be sure & dig a hole 50% larger than the root ball, and mix in lots of compost & organic fertilizer, watering well to avoid shock of possible freezing temperatures. Many plants will take a year before they show growth again. Good luck -- http://www.manhassetgardens.com/pruningrosebushes.htm Shirley Allen Garden Club [This message has been edited by SAS (edited October 14, 2002).] [This message has been edited by SAS (edited October 14, 2002).] denisew Hey, got my keyboard working. One other tip about the roses as far as pruning goes. Roses should be pruned twice annually. The first pruning should be done in February to encourage new spring growth. Cut the rose back by half removing all growth smaller than a pencil (it seems this is a good reference for a lot of things). This encourages the new growth in the spring. The second pruning is done in mid-August. Cut only a third of the shrub back this time. This will encourage a second flush of blooms in October. February is also a good time to spray a fungicide if you use such products. (See below for organic disease control info.) If you have serious problems with your rose defoliating in the summer due to blackspot which is very common in this area, why not try a more disease resistant variety? Check out the Earth Kind (TM) rose selections. Included in this list is Belinda's Dream and Caldwell Pink. They also have yellow and red roses in this grouping. I have the Belinda's Dream rose in my front yard and it has performed beautifully this summer. I haven't done anything to it - no spraying at all. Okay, here is the organic advice directly from www.dirtdoctor.com - You don't need to get the "horticultural" cornmeal like what is mentioned below - the stuff you buy at the supermarket will work just fine at controlling diseases. Cornmeal encourages micorrhizal (sp?) fungus in the soil. This is a good fungus that will control the bad ones. You can get the neem oil at Wells Bros. in Plano or Lowe's here in Allen. We have found that Well's Bros. is a bit lower in price on their organic supplies. I just wanted you to have as much information about caring for roses as possible. CONTROLLING DISEASES - Black spot, brown patch, powdery mildew and other fungal problems: Best control is prevention through soil improvement, avoidance of high-nitrogen fertilizers and proper watering. Spray Garrett Juice plus garlic and/or neem. BAKING SODA or potassium bicarbonate can also be added for serious problems. Treat soil with horticultural cornmeal at about 20 lbs./ 1,000 sq. ft. Organic gardens have few disease problems. Good luck with your rose! [This message has been edited by denisew (edited October 14, 2002).] bullseye Do these grow well in part shade? What about near a foundation? Do they require lots of watering? [This message has been edited by bullseye (edited May 05, 2003).] denisew Crape Myrtles require full sun for the best blooms. If they don't get enough sun, you risk powdery mildew which isn't pretty. Yes, you can plant them up by your house, but give them enough room for their tops to fill out correctly. They are drought tolerant once established. If you buy them in smaller containers - 1 or 5 gallon sizes, they will establish more quickly, but will require a couple years to get to the height you want. Be sure to read the tag on the plant to see how big it gets. You wouldn't want to plant a crape myrtle that gets 20-30 feet tall in front of a single story house since it would hit the eaves and cause damage to your house. Then, you would have to commit "crape murder" to keep it under control and we don't want to do that.