Crape Myrtle Not Blooming

Q: I have a white and a fuscia crape myrtle but neither of them is showing signs of blooming. Is there a problem with crape myrtles this year?

A: It is simple, really. Crape myrtles bloom on new growth, anything that promotes new growth will increase the number of blooms you get each year. You might still try applying an all-nitrogen lawn-type fertilizer on them along with a thorough and deep soaking. Next year start feeding them in late March, again in mid-May or early June, and again in late summer. Water deeply a couple of times a week. Pruning a crape myrtle is not necessary to make it bloom. Give the watering and feeding a try for one season and see if it doesn’t make a marked change in their flowering.