Mugo and dwarf Crape Myrtle advice!

Jluke33

Mame
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Picked up this little mugo and crape myrtle while nursery hopping today. Crape myrtle doesn’t look super healthy but something about the gnarly trunk and branches really got me. This is my first mugo and crape myrtle so hit me with this styling/care advice/suggestions (it was hard to get good pics of the crape myrtle so lemme know if more would be helpful)
 

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Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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You might get a little more traction if you create two threads, because you are really talking apples and oranges here.

Crepe myrtle is pretty much bullet-proof and will weather defoliation and dramatic pruning (including hard trunk reduction and scar healing) without missing a beat. I like your little crepe myrtle because of the interesting lower trunk. Your challenge with this material is developing ramification and restraining and balancing growth, because it will continuously fight you and try to throw long running growth while dropping fine / weaker branches. Getting it to bloom while managing growth is very difficult - because it will only bloom on young growth, and you have to constantly remove young growth in order to balance strength.

Mugo pine, on the other hand, requires a fair amount of skill and some specific understanding of the species. Rather than repeat what is available elsewhere, I would point you to some of the mugo pine threads on this site.
 

Jluke33

Mame
Messages
142
Reaction score
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Location
Rock Hill, SC
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8A
You might get a little more traction if you create two threads, because you are really talking apples and oranges here.

Crepe myrtle is pretty much bullet-proof and will weather defoliation and dramatic pruning (including hard trunk reduction and scar healing) without missing a beat. I like your little crepe myrtle because of the interesting lower trunk. Your challenge with this material is developing ramification and restraining and balancing growth, because it will continuously fight you and try to throw long running growth while dropping fine / weaker branches. Getting it to bloom while managing growth is very difficult - because it will only bloom on young growth, and you have to constantly remove young growth in order to balance strength.

Mugo pine, on the other hand, requires a fair amount of skill and some specific understanding of the species. Rather than repeat what is available elsewhere, I would point you to some of the mugo pine threads on this site.
Thanks I’ll make two separate posts! And thanks for the link to the mugo resources!
 
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