Every year I get several inquiries about why someone’s Crape Myrtle is not blooming. There are several conditions that might affect a Crape Myrtle’s bloom period. Read the causes below to help figure out why yours don’t bloom. *Different varieties begin blooming at different times. Natchez (white) is usually one of the first to begin blooming. Some varieties may not begin blooming until late June. *Crape Myrtles require at least 8 hours of direct sun to bloom. If your Crape Myrtle receives too much shade, it will not bloom. *Insects [...]

Japanese Maples can be an attractive addition to almost any landscape. To assure trees that thrive, locate your Japanese maple where it will receive dappled sun under the canopy of trees, with no more than two to three hours of morning sun. New growth on varieties with red leaves will be more brilliant if they receive a little direct sun, either in the morning or the evening. Japanese Maples will tolerate low winter temperatures quite well, but suffer from moisture loss from the leaves when exposed to our drying summer [...]

It may seem kind of silly to write about “Choosing a Crape Myrtle”. Don’t you just decide what color you like and buy that one? Well, maybe. But there are other factors to consider as well. We now have a plethora of varieties to choose from, some with dark colored leaves, different colors of exfoliating bark, brilliant fall colors from red to orange, and a myriad of flower colors.  While all of these are important, remember to first identify the mature height of Crape Myrtle that would be appropriate for the [...]

Failure to Thrive The vast majority of diagnostic questions I receive each year are related to trees with health issues. Many of these issues could be avoided by proper (and consistent) care of the tree from the day it is planted. Sometimes things do go wrong, and knowing what to do can be instrumental in reviving the health of a tree. Trees have the amazing ability to “compartmentalize” diseased and damaged tissue, and to produce healthy tissue around it. If a tree has been stressed by environmental issues such as [...]