April 21, 2022: Answer 9

Dear Neil: I have several crape myrtles that have been in our backyard for 10 years, yet they have never bloomed well at all. What does it take to make them flower? H.C., Round Rock.

Crape myrtles need full sun, ample (although modest) moisture and nitrogen to bloom to their best potential. Never “top” them, as that greatly delays their flowering. Beyond that, I don’t know of any secrets. Almost all of the time that I’ve seen crape myrtles that were “shy bloomers,” it ended up that they were in too much shade.

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