Crepe Myrtles Don't Bloom

[Tommy Jane]

I have 2 crepe myrtles that have just completed their 3rd summer with no blooms. Well, I take that back...one had one bloom on in last week, the first weekend in October. Any ideas as to why it isn't blooming and what can I do to get it to bloom?

[SouthernStyle]

What is the sun situation where it is? Are you pruning back in the spring (possibly too much?)?

[Tommy Jane]

They are on the west side of my house. One gets tons of sun. One gets partial shade and does not get the full evening sun. My husband prunes them in the early spring, not as severe as i have seen some others that go on to bloom profusely!

[gailen]

My Crepe Myrtle has survived on benign neglect for over 25 years. We live in Texas with very hot summers, many of them with little rain. It is on the west side, between the sidewalk and street. This means it gets full sun all day and the extreme heat of our summers, and is not protected against winter. The only pruning we have ever done is to keep it in a "tree" form and to eliminate the suckers. If we don't get rain, it does get watered ever so often when the lawn is watered. It is always full of beautiful deep pink blooms from June or July until the first frost.

[Capucine]

I don't think pruning is required for most crepe myrtles to bloom. Although, there is an old gardener in my neighborhood that pruned a neighbors tree that never bloomed and sure enough it bloomed the next summer. I have no idea what he did that was different. I have known of some that never bloomed or bloomed only a little bit. They do like alot of sun and heat.