Crepe Myrtle - Lagerstroemia Indica

[jessepap]

I saw this growing in an empty block near me and its growing wild, the bush i pictured was quite large and growing very freely.

i am PRETTY sure its a Crepe Myrtle but does anyone care to confirm?

Is this worth looking at digging out and chopping back for potential bonsai? or not worth the hassle?

the must be about 20x these growing some very very small and others bigger.

the pictured one the main trunk is probably 2cm across... there would have to be at least 10 trunk sprouting off it though. its a bush more than a tree..

should i dig or not waste my time?!

[Matt S]

Hi jessepap,

That's definitely a Crepe Myrtle, they're flowering at the moment and you can see them everywhere. They're great material for bonsai but I'd be looking for something with a thicker trunk before I went to the trouble of digging it up. Find the biggest one and then look around the trunk and see if anything interesting is happening under the leaf litter, sometimes thicker trunk can be hiding away.

They're deciduous so late winter might be a better time to dig one up, someone else might have experience in digging out of season.

Matt.

[Keels]

These trees are great as bonsai material. I see that they use them heavily in penjing as well.

I dug my multi trunk Crepe Myrtle in late June (2018) in Canberra. I reduced it from 4m tall to about 50 cms high. It recovered well and even flowered. Just remember to wire early as the new shoots harden up quick.

Keep us posted how you go. Good luck

[shibui]

Yes, Crepe Myrtle.
They sucker profusely so all the little ones are probably growing from the roots of the larger one. They may all be suckers from where one was removed at some time.
have a good look at the base and under the ground a little to see if the trunks are any thicker. Small bonsai are still worth growing so if there are interesting trunk why not grab a couple. Most are likely to be very straight so not worth taking unless you just want to practice your digging skills.
Crepe myrtle are very hardy. Almost indestructible. The trunk will sometimes die back after collection but will usually sprout from low on the trunk or from the roots.
Wood is very hard so unlikely to bend unless very young so the only option to make bends or change shape is pruning. Look for branches that might make a better trunk line if the main trunk is cut.

I've mostly dug these in winter with no leaves but i would not be surprised to see them survive collection at any time of year.

[MJL]

And on a related note - I cannot remember a better season for crepe myrtles. The pink and white flowering crepe myrtles around parts of Melbourne at the moment are quite beautiful. We have a pink flowering variety in our front yard (not bonsai) and it is flowering like never before. Later than normal for this tree too.


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[jessepap]

hi guys
Just wonder if a mertle with grow it was basically broken off at the base? Basically the trunk came with no roots almost like a cut off olive - are they still capable of growing or are they doomed from there?

[BirchMan]

Hi
I dug a big one last summer with minimal roots and it shot new growth in a few weeks. I'd say there's a fair chance.

[TimS]

I don’t know about once they have a woody trunk, but I dug a sucker from my front garden and it broke off without any roots but still grew just fine

[shibui]

Just wonder if a mertle with grow it was basically broken off at the base? Basically the trunk came with no roots almost like a cut off olive - are they still capable of growing or are they doomed from there?

A lot depends on how big and how old the trunk is. Also where it broke off.
Younger wood will root far easier than really old wood. Roots will grow far easier on wood below ground than on wood above ground. If it has any parts of previous roots it should be OK even if there are no feeder roots. No picture makes it hard to guess what you are describing though.

Definitely worth putting in. You may be surprised and if it does not survive what have you lost?

[jessepap]

I planted it y'day but forgot to get any pics of the roots or lack of.
Let's see how it goes fingers crossed it shoots as I like the look of the cut back trunk !!
Cheers all

[jessepap]

So the two little ones I planted now look like this! Dead!

The bigger one I took had a few leaves which have also died off.

Oh well it was worth a shot!

[shibui]

Don't throw them out just yet. They may be dead but may also just be playing possum. Sometimes if collected in late summer they will go dormant until spring then sprout new shoots.

[jessepap]

Don't throw them out just yet. They may be dead but may also just be playing possum. Sometimes if collected in late summer they will go dormant until spring then sprout new shoots.

Thanks I will cross my fingers and keep them in the dirt. I hope the bigger one makes it through the winter!