Published May 13, 2026 · 6 min read · Filed under Tree Care
Drive through any Frisco neighborhood in February and you'll see them — crape myrtles topped to thick fist-like stubs, 4 feet off the ground, looking like coat racks for a giant. It happens every year. The crews driving the route call it "winter pruning." Horticulturists call it "crape murder."
Here's what crape murder actually does to your tree, and what proper pruning looks like instead.
What is crape murder?
Crape murder is the practice of cutting crape myrtles back to thick stubs each winter, usually 4–6 feet off the ground, removing all of the previous year's growth. It became popular in the South because:
- It's fast and easy for landscape crews to do in bulk
- It produces a flush of long, vigorous new shoots in spring
- Those shoots produce larger flower panicles than naturally grown branches
The bigger flowers are the trap. Yes, you get bigger blooms — for one year. But you've ruined the tree's structure permanently, and over the long run you're going to have a worse-looking, less-healthy tree.
What crape murder actually does to the tree
1. It ruins the natural vase shape
A mature crape myrtle is supposed to look like a small, multi-trunked tree with a graceful vase form, smooth muscular bark, and an airy canopy. After a few years of crape murder, you get gnarled "knuckles" at the top of each stub, with weak whippy shoots emerging from them. The form is gone forever.
2. Weak attachment, weak branches
The new shoots that emerge from a crape-murdered cut are attached to the stub at a single point. They grow fast, get heavy with flowers, and break easily in a North Texas wind or summer thunderstorm. Naturally grown branches with proper attachments hold their weight just fine.
3. Top-heavy regrowth
The new shoots emerge from the top of the stub and grow upward into a dense bundle. The flowers sit way at the top, often above eye level — which is the opposite of what most homeowners want.
4. Smooth bark — gone
One of the best features of a mature crape myrtle is the cinnamon-colored, mottled, peeling bark on the trunks. Crape murder destroys it. The thick gnarly knuckles are the most visible part of the tree and they're never going to look like real bark again.
5. Disease and pest pressure
The succulent new growth attracts aphids in massive numbers, which then attract sooty mold. The tree's vigor goes down even as it looks ostentatious for a few weeks each summer.
What proper crape myrtle pruning looks like
Real crape myrtle pruning is a 15-minute job per tree, done in late winter (mid-January through early March in Frisco). Here's the full procedure:
Step 1 — Pick your trunks (only do this once)
A well-grown crape myrtle has 3–5 main trunks emerging from the base in a vase form. If your tree has 10+ thin trunks (suckers), select the strongest 3–5, and remove the rest at ground level. This is a one-time structural decision; do it on the first or second pruning.
Step 2 — Remove suckers at the base
Anything growing from the ground that you don't want as a main trunk — cut it off flush. Suckers waste the tree's energy and ruin the form.
Step 3 — Remove crossing or inward-growing branches
Look at the canopy. Anything that's crossing or rubbing against another branch — remove the weaker one. Anything growing inward toward the center — remove. You're trying to keep the canopy open.
Step 4 — Remove last year's seed pods (optional)
The dried brown seed pods at the tips of branches can be cut off if you want a tidier look. Cut just above the last visible bud. This is the only "tip" pruning you should be doing — and it's optional.
Step 5 — Step back and stop
That's it. You should not be cutting branches thicker than a pencil unless you're removing a clearly damaged or crossing branch.
When to prune in Frisco
- Best window: Mid-January through early March (late dormancy)
- Why: Structure is visible without leaves, but the worst freezes are behind you
- Avoid: Fall pruning — it can stimulate new growth that gets killed by a freeze
- Avoid: Spring or summer pruning except to remove damaged branches
Best crape myrtle varieties for Frisco
If you're planting new, pick a variety sized to its location. Most crape murder happens because someone planted a 30-foot variety in a 12-foot spot, then has to hack it back every year to fit.
- Dwarf (3–5 ft): Pocomoke, Cherry Dazzle, Petite series
- Semi-dwarf (5–10 ft): Acoma (white), Hopi (pink), Tonto (red)
- Medium (10–20 ft): Tuscarora (coral), Sioux (pink), Catawba (purple)
- Tall (20–30+ ft): Natchez (white), Muskogee (lavender), Tuskegee (deep pink)
All of these are well-adapted to Frisco's clay soil and heat. Mildew-resistant varieties (most of the Native American-named series) handle North Texas humidity better than the older European varieties.
Fixing a crape-murdered tree
If you bought a house with crape-murdered crape myrtles, you have two options:
- Live with it — stop the murder, prune properly going forward. The tree will look gnarly for years but will gradually recover form as new growth fills in.
- Reset at the base — cut the tree to the ground in late winter. It will regrow from the stump as multiple new shoots. After two years, select 3–5 of the strongest as new trunks. This is the "rejuvenation" approach. You'll lose 2–3 years of blooms, but you'll get a properly formed tree.
For most Frisco yards we recommend option 1 — patience usually wins.