Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers' questions each week. To send a question, email Gill at gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu. My husband wants to plant crape myrtle trees on the side of the house.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a beloved choice for many North American gardeners, known for its stunning summer blooms, vibrant foliage in the fall, and impressive bark. With its ability to ...

This time of year, when we walk outside, we are immediately hit with a thick wall of Northeast Florida humidity. While most of our landscape trees and plants are drooping or having pest and disease ...

You’ve probably seen crape myrtle trees pruned to look like a coat rack. Hopefully, you’re not guilty of doing this. The term “crape murder” was coined to describe this drastic topping of crape ...

Too often, crape myrtles are cut back to bare trunks because this abuse will yield more flowers. This type of severe pruning results in a shorter bloom time, delayed flowering, weaker branching and ...

So far, 2025 has been the best year I’ve seen for crape myrtles in the past 15 or 20. Many of us feel they’re the best flowering shrubs and small trees for the South, and this year is certainly ...

My husband wants to plant crape myrtle trees on the side of the house. We live on a corner lot and this will be nice curb appeal with the proper up lighting. However, I see crape myrtles that grow to ...

We all enjoy the colorful blooms of flowering crape myrtles in the summer. But it’s those same trees that all too often fall victim to a misguided winter ritual known as “crape murder,” the aggressive ...