Q&A – Will crape myrtle foliage come back after frost?
Question:
I have a pair of Natchez crape myrtles. They had just put on foliage when we got frost a couple of weeks ago. All the foliage died. Will the foliage on my crape myrtles come back after frost? Or are the plants dead?
Answer:
Yes, they will re-leaf and come back just fine. UT Extension Agent Booker T. Leigh gives a way to find out if the plant is still alive. Carefully scrape the bark away in a small section of the lower plant. If it is green underneath, then the plant is still alive. TSU extension Agent Joellen Dimond says the carbohydrate reserves the plant stored in the roots to fuel this year’s growth are just starting to move up the plant. The plant will come back.
Related Resources
Crape Myrtle Culture
I have a pair of Natchez crape myrtles. They had just put on foliage when we got frost a couple of weeks ago. All the foliage died. Will the foliage on my crape myrtles come back after frost? Or are the plants dead?
Answer:
Yes, they will re-leaf and come back just fine. UT Extension Agent Booker T. Leigh gives a way to find out if the plant is still alive. Carefully scrape the bark away in a small section of the lower plant. If it is green underneath, then the plant is still alive. TSU extension Agent Joellen Dimond says the carbohydrate reserves the plant stored in the roots to fuel this year’s growth are just starting to move up the plant. The plant will come back.
Related Resources
Crape Myrtle Culture