Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle)
A year after last July’s fluke rain storm broke off a Crape Myrtle, the tree is rallying and even blooming.
Before we could decide what to do about losing one of a matching pair of Crape Myrtles flanking the front walkway, the tree was sending up shoots.
Wait-and-see seemed to be as good an option as any at the time and now from the broken base a shrubby tree is forming. Whether it will be healthy in the long-term is unclear but it surprised us this week when large panicles of pink flowers appeared.
Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle)- Flowers and Buds
It is raining this July too, often several times a day, making it difficult to keep up with gardening chores. This week there is a new baby rabbit exploring the meditation circle plants and a Cardinal family with young ones at the feeder. Thursday a box turtle positioned himself at the bottom of the front steps and watched the downpour.
Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
pbmGarden 
What great news about the crepe myrtle…what a cute turtle garden friend!
Yes, I hope the tree makes it. The whole neighborhood is starting to bloom in different Crape Myrtle colors. Susie
I remember when my daughter was young and stopping the car numerous times to help a box turtle cross the road so s/he wouldn’t get hit. 🙂
Judy, that’s a good memory. This summer I’ve seen several people doing the same thing and sadly I’ve seen a few turtles that didn’t make it across. This is only the second turtle I have come upon in my yard in the twelve years of living here. Susie
I like the box turtle. When I was a kid I had a box turtle as a pet but I built him an outdoor cage with inadequate security. He escaped.
Funny story Jason!
I also have a crape myrtle. Mine doesn’t flower until mid to late August. Wait and see is often the best gardening policy.
Are they common where you live Christina? It will be nice to look forward to the tree blooming in August.
Around town I started noticing them in early June. The larger of my pair of Crape Myrtles (the one that didn’t get knocked over in a storm) is a little behind the little one in blooming. Glad they’re resilient trees.
I also have a Lagerstroemia and think they’re delightful. This year a doe buck thought the same and used it to rub off his velvet on its stems. So far it still looks good, so touch wood…is the turtle yours? Cute 🙂
Good luck with your tree. Sounds like it will be fine. The bark on mine is finally stripping off revealing the beautiful reddish color underneath. The turtle is a rare sight and must have been passing through. We’ve had so much rain it almost looked as if the turtle was looking out at the sky saying, “Really? More rain?”
Lucky girl, we should really have a good soaking soon as we’ve planted up new parts of the garden recently.
Judicious pruning should get your crape myrtle back in shape! Turtles are loving the wet weather, but butterflies…not so much.
Thanks, hope we can shape it properly. I’ve seen a handful of butterflies but not many–perhaps it is the rain. Hardly any bees this year. Susie
I think that you can prune and rebloom the crepe myrtle this time of year. Their bloom is triggered by heat I think.
That’s good to know John. Thanks for the tip. I was afraid to do anything to it until next February.
It’s good that your little tree has survived even though it is now a bush, a bit of pruning will sort that out I think. The flowers on your tree are beautiful and your neighbourhood must look fantastic at the moment if they are all flowering at once.
Thanks Pauline. Hope the crape myrtle can survive my pruning skills too! They are such beautiful trees.
Lagestroemias are such tough plants, capable of bearing hard pruning and drought. I have a couple, although they are still rather young.
Love that turtle, I just happened to have one saved from the road, they look so ancestral but so out of place in this speedy World…
Alberto, turtles do seem out of place these days and all the more interesting because of it. Susie
I’m glad it has recovered enough to flower. It’s a very pretty shrub which I haven’t seen in our region.
Thanks! Crape myrtles can get very tall. Ours are a dwarf variety. They’re blooming all over the South US now.
I have two crape myrtles in my CT garden (zone 6). Some winters one, or both, die back to the roots but they always grow back stronger than ever. I have very sporadic flowers, if any, so I’m really hoping that one of these years I’ll have a tree full of flowers like yours!
Debbie, that is so interesting to know about crape myrtles being able to live after dying back in the winter. Then I will assume my little brave one is going to pull through. Hope you get some nice blossoms this year!
What a handsome turtle. When I was growing up, we had a couple of turtles that moved into the ponds we dug to store rain water. Once in a while they would walk back and forth between front and back ponds. The dogs would bark at them and the turtles would ignore them in return. I’ve never figured out why they went back and forth, but it is a fond memory. Did you try to convince him to stay in your garden?
Seeing the turtle was a great treat but I didn’t even think to tempt him to stay. He seemed to be passing through and taking a break from the rain. We do have a pond in the neighborhood so perhaps he was venturing out from there. Thanks for sharing your turtle memory. I can picture the turtles just going on about their business and ignoring the dogs! Susie
I’m not a great gardener but it always amazes me how cutting back roses hard improves them so much the following year.
I agree but some plants respond to that tough approach.