Cut off spent crape myrtle blossoms by late July to encourage flowering again.

I’ve heard that if you deadhead crape myrtles, they’ll bloom again. Is this true?

Many varieties of crape myrtles can be encouraged to bloom a second time, but timing is important. Deadheading crape myrtles (removing dead or dying flowers) encourages new sprouts and blooms, but if you deadhead too late in the season, the tender new growth that is produced can be damaged by cold weather.

Follow these tips when deadheading crape myrtles:

    • July Deadline: If the blooms on your crape myrtles are already fading by the end of July, deadheading can encourage another (probably smaller) bloom in late summer.
  • Leave Late Bloomers Alone: Depending on your climate, many popular crape myrtle varieties don’t start blooming until June and keep on going straight through until fall. These varieties shouldn’t be deadheaded – not only can they be damaged by cold weather, but they probably won’t have time to produce more blossoms anyway.

To deadhead your crape myrtles, simply snip off the flower heads once the color begins to fade. If you aren’t trying to encourage a second bloom, leave the blossoms alone and enjoy the lovely seed heads that follow.

Julie

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Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford

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Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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