Q: A light-pink crepe myrtle next to our house has bloomed faithfully each summer for the past six. This year, it has no buds at all. Friends said the same is true of crepe myrtles in their neighborhood - no evidence that they will bloom at all. Ours was trimmed back (not crepe murder) last year and bloomed in profusion, but nothing now. Is there anything we can do to get it to flower this summer? - Norman Miller, Raleigh I wish I could tell you there was such a thing as crepe myrtle fairies that magically dust buds on trees that are without, but I seriously doubt you would go for such a tale. The reality is that if your crepe was in flower at this time last year and doesn't have buds on it by now, then it is not a late-blooming variety, and it ain't gonna show off this summer. So, what went wrong?
Pruning is probably not the culprit, because it seems your crepe myrtle was pruned last year, and then it bloomed. Timing is critical in properly cutting back these pretty plants. Although most really don't need much pruning, if any snipping is needed, it should be done in the late winter, just before new growth begins. Pruning crepes in mid-spring to control the frizzy new branches is a sure way to not have summer flowers, as the buds develop on new wood.
OK, if it wasn't pruning at the wrong time that caused your crepe myrtle to poop out, what else could it be? Let's first consider light. Crepes need sunlight - and lots of it - in order to properly bloom. The crepe has been growing and flowering in your yard for six years, but what about the other trees and tall shrubs close to it? Have they grown taller to the extent that they are now blocking sunlight from the crepe myrtle?
Water is also critical to keeping a crepe myrtle happy. If it goes through an extended period of drought, it will essentially sulk and hold back on blooms. You don't need a regional, biblical drought for this to happen. If the crepe is located close to, say, a sidewalk or driveway in full sun, constant dry conditions could result. A good way to help prevent this is to add a broad, 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch around the base of the bush to conserve moisture during the dry times. Speaking of dry times, in the early spring when it is developing blooms, if it doesn't rain for, say, two to three weeks, give your crepe a long, slow drink from the hose.
Another culprit could be fertilizer. Crepe myrtles do benefit from a fertilizing in the early spring, but such a nutrient boost should be heavy on phosphorus and light on nitrogen. Phosphorus encourages flower formation, which is what you want, while nitrogen stimulates leaf growth. However, too much nitrogen will cause the shrub to bulk up on foliage at the expense of bloom production. A classic example of this would be a crepe myrtle on the edge of a yard that gets heavily dosed in the spring with lawn fertilizer. Such fertilizers for grass are usually very high in nitrogen, and a stray application in the crepe's root zone could create a very bushy bush with few or no flowers.
Blueberry showoff
Q: What can you tell me about a blueberry bush I think is called "Tough Blue?" - Carol Little, Durham I can't tell you a thing about "Tough Blue," because I am pretty sure you are referring to an excellent blueberry cultivar that goes by the name of "Tifblue." This is a tried-and-true selection that sets the standard for blueberry sweetness, pest resistance and drought tolerance.
As an ornamental bonus, it also shows off gorgeous flaming foliage in the fall. It's a well-known cultivar, and it shouldn't be hard to find, but just in case, "Tifblue" can be bought or ordered online from Finch Blueberries in Bailey, between Raleigh and Wilson on U.S. 264. By the way, Finch, in my humble opinion, gets two green thumbs up when it comes to a wide selection of interesting, dependable cultivars for the Southeast. For more information and online ordering, the Web address is www.danfinch.com.
