Uses for Crepe Myrtle Branches

Flower Arrangements

• Use cut crepe myrtle branches for use in your fresh flower arrangements. Crepe myrtle plants create showy flower clusters with 1- to 2-inch red, pink, purple, lavender or white flowers. The plants have a long blooming period, offering flowers all summer, and you can extend their flower production by pruning out the seed heads and faded flowers.

For Your Birds

• Provide crepe myrtle branches as perches or toys for your exotic birds. Birds can use the wood to safely act out their natural chewing behaviors. Clean and disinfect the wood before adding it to your birds' cages, and use only trees you can verify have not been treated with pesticides. Be aware that the broadleaf evergreen commonly called myrtle is not safe for birds.

To Start New Trees

• Start new trees by taking cuttings during the summer from new growth, preserving three or four nodes and several leaves on each cutting, suggests the University of Georgia. The University notes that the cuttings will root in soil or rooting medium and without the application of growth hormone. Save the plants to expand your collection, or give them as gifts to other growers.

Care

• You can prune crepe myrtle plants to a tree form by selecting 3 to 5 main trunks and removing the rest, or allow the plant to develop in a shrub form. Prune your plants in late winter or early spring, before the new growth starts, as flowers appear on the new growth. Instead of severely pruning crape myrtles, thin the plants to open them up to allow air to circulate and light to penetrate into the center of the plants. This will help prevent development of powdery mildew.

Considerations

• The branches of crepe myrtle provide a lovely display when left intact on the plants. Because it has a branching habit, you should not top the plant, warns the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Topping your plants will reduce their flowering. Pruning can lead to more problems than it solves, including excess vegetative growth, according to the Pinellas County Extension. Pruning also leads to a tradeoff in blooming; it will trigger the growth of larger flowers, but your plants will produce fewer flowers overall.