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| I bought the house four months ago, and it appears that either the homeowner planted Crape Myrtles, or the builder didn't care one iota about practical design, because the Crape Myrtles (I have four of them) are all planted within 18-24 inches of the home. To top it off (please excuse the pun), they have cut all of the Crapy Myrtles back, which from what I'm reading has been coined "Crape Murder."
Here's a gallery demonstrating this: http://img696.imageshack.us/g/img1257ei.jpg/ Is there any hope for my Crape Myrtles, or are they just too close to the foundation to bother? I know that I can cut them back down and let them grow naturally, I'm just wondering if it's worth the effort. As an aside, if anyone knows that the white fungus(?) this is, I'd really appreciate it... http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/8165/img1331iu.jpg Thanks again for any and all responses, they are greatly appreciated. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 21, 10 at 9:23
| link should be to a slideshow.... there is a box below where you type for such .. for sure on the preview page .... anyway.. first.. lichens on the trunk .. enjoy it.. its a bonus... as for the plants.. i will yell....GET RID OF THE PRIOR OWNERS MISTAKES ... its your new home.. make your own mistakes.. lol ... i would not take a number of years to try to renovate these.. you know they are too close to the house.. and you know they were improperly maintained.. so just be done with them .. good luck ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
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- Posted by dave_in_nova VA zone 7a (My Page) on Wed, Jul 21, 10 at 9:39
| From what I have seen, the white varieties (not all, but many) can get VERY BIG. They are really TREES. They will drop leaves, seed pods, flowers on your roof and in your gutters, being planted that close to the house. So, yes, unless you want to prune every year, and deal with the debris, it might be best to eliminate them or move them. Nothing you would have to do right away. If you want to try to move them, it would be best during the winter or late spring when they are dormant. You could cut them way back and try to move one or more further (like maybe 10-15 feet?) from the house. If you like them, that is, they will provide some nice shade to your yard. The white varieties usually have really nice exfoliating bark too. |
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