Why do crape myrtles look so ugly after severe pruning?
Severe pruning, or crape murder, triggers a cycle of weak, leggy shoot growth that forces property owners to keep chopping the tree year after year. Once a tree is cut this way, it permanently alters its natural shape and locks you into endless maintenance just to keep it from looking diseased.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 36.3× more often in r/Landscaping than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1trimming branches smaller than 1/2"Did this help you?
- 2letting trees grow naturally like a treeDid this help you?
- 3Hiring a landscape designerDid this help you?
- 4Reading gardening magazines for before-and-after inspirationDid this help you?
- 5Trimming existing trees and bushes instead of removing them entirelyDid this help you?
- 6Replacing diseased boxwoods with alternative plants like inkberryDid this help you?
- 7Switching to online mode by unchecking download shared foldersDid this help you?
- 8Using web access to open the mailbox separatelyDid this help you?
- 9Deleting empty folders and restructuring to reduce total folder countDid this help you?
- 10Migrating file storage workflows away from email to SharePointDid this help you?
- 11Cutting the bush down to the root so it regrows from scratch.Did this help you?
- 12Leaving the evergreens unpruned or questioning whether to attempt cutting them back.Did this help you?
- 13major pruningDid this help you?
- 14patched the scarDid this help you?
- 15taking out dead and crossing branches firstDid this help you?
- 16thinning the tree lightly over a couple of seasonsDid this help you?
- 17trimming branches in the fall so they droop to the same levelDid this help you?
- 18using tree fertilizer spikes pounded into the ground by the rootsDid this help you?
- 19replanting trees further awayDid this help you?
- 20removing every other tree to solve spacing issuesDid this help you?
- 21hiring an arborist for specialized pruning or growth hormone applicationDid this help you?
- 22planting new trees behind existing ones in anticipation of utility trimmingDid this help you?
- 23Hiring an arborist every couple of years to use a bucket truckDid this help you?
- 24Trimming branches personally using a ladder, pole saw, or by leaning out of a window if the tree is lowerDid this help you?
- 25Trying to contact the neighbor via Ring camera messages or in person to request permission for yard accessDid this help you?
- 26Seeking second opinions online to confirm if the plant will surviveDid this help you?
- 27Supervising landscapers in person rather than letting them work unseenDid this help you?
- 28Expressing apprehension directly to the contractor to establish accountabilityDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I hate crepe murder. I've got some beautiful 30 foot tall crepe Myrtle's.”source ↗
“Once you do it a few times you gotta keep doing it because your whole tree is leggy shoots”source ↗
“Once you chop them this way, that’s all you can do to them for the rest of their life.”source ↗
“IL btw. These trees are ugly and diseased. I also hate the brick border and shrubs. Willing to spend $$ to make this look real nice.”source ↗
“Located around Raleigh NC and I have 3 evergreens that I planted to hide the HVAC components about 25 years ago. They are looking more like trees now and wondering if it's OK to trim them, how, to what extent & when.”source ↗
“that tree already looks stressed cutting it back that hard in one go will just shock it more i would take out the dead and crossing branches first then thin lightly over couple seasons”source ↗
“I believe I had some Natal Plums that were pretty full and I get home to this… My initial reaction was “wtf…” but wanted to get some second opinions. Did these guys just destroy them?”source ↗
“Do i need to cut it down lower than needed and then have it look rubbish for a while til it grows in?”source ↗
“This Weeping Cherry hardly blooms in spring and leaves are scattered all summer. I was wondering if I could cut all the limbs back to about 4 feet above the main trunk in early spring?”source ↗
“I have some green giants along a public walkway and have similar concerns. I called out a certified arborist to get opinions and advice on proper pruning so as not to harm our trees.”source ↗
“Is there a better solution than my having to pay $480+ every couple of years to protect my roof from their tree?”source ↗
“I wish I could at least get their permission to let the arborist into their yard to do a more thorough trimming to save cost.”source ↗
“I can't do it myself because the branches are too high. It requires a bucket truck.”source ↗
“Client has a shared mailbox in Exchange Online used for order administration, organised by region/country/customer/year. It had 12,394 folders. Since around Sept 8–9 the folder tree stops loading at roughly 976 subfolders in Outlook classic (cached mode).”source ↗
“Anyone else seeing shared mailbox folder trees truncate since last week's updates?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 11How to fix sunken ground from decaying tree roots without excavating
- 6Should I cut branches to straighten a leaning tree?
- 3How to remove a large tree in a tight space between fences
- 2Why are my bushes turning brown after watering?
- 2How can I fix a broken tree branch?
- 10How to kill volunteer trees near a house without herbicides