Prime's Clippings June 2017

Centaura Americana - American Basket Flower
An early summer wildflower

Ready for Summer?

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May was a disappointment to much of the metroplex regarding our rain totals. Normally our wettest month, it seems most of the storms split north and south of Fort Worth. There have been blisteringly hot days and a few blissfully cool days as well, but it is a sure bet that hot weather will start to dominate.

We have already had to start supplemental watering in between the scattered rains, and pay close attention to newly planted flowers, shrubs, and trees  to make sure they are not allowed to dry out. Remember, those root zones remain the same size as the pot they were in for several weeks or even months. Many plants will recover from wilting but it always slows their growth.

So here is my early summer checklist:

• Weed beds and mulch everything
• Fertilize lawns and beds
• Spot spray weeds in the lawn
• Check sprinklers and adjust heads
• Hand water new plants
• Plant the last warm season vegetables—it’s a little late, but cantaloupes and a few others can still go in
• Start enjoying the tomatoes, peppers, squash and other garden goodies that are already producing (side note: wage war on squash bugs!)
• Get outdoors and enjoy the last crops of wildflowers

And when it gets too hot, head for the lake or the pool. Welcome summer!

What to watch for as we heat up...

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Surprisingly, we haven’t observed too many insect issues yet in spite of our warm winter. Mosquitoes are starting to show up but have not been a big problem. We have been monitoring for bagworms on one of our properties that has hundreds of cypress trees, and they have not shown up yet. We are nearing the time for tent caterpillars as well, so we may start seeing both of these critters pop up in June.

Fire ants of course are ever-present and make new mounds after every rain. And that’s possibly the key to why we haven’t had big problems with any of these pests — we haven’t had a lot of rain just yet.

Aphids and azalea bark scale are a constant problem on crape myrtles, and a systemic insecticide is the most effective weapon against the bark scale.

Conditions were optimal this winter for some blight and canker on Italian cypress and similar trees. There is no control, so if you have dead patches in your cypress or junipers prune it out or remove the tree. Some crapes had severe freeze damage, treatment is the same. Most fungal diseases should decrease as it gets hot, but gray leaf spot and chinch bugs are potential summer problems for St. Augustine.

gray leaf spot

chinch bugs

Prime landscapes new ride at Six Flags!

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We were honored to work on a new attraction at Six Flags again this year, helping them usher in The Joker. This is an exciting ride for the true thrill seeker. And it is exciting for us to get to work with the skilled and dedicated team at Six Flags and observe how they meet all the challenges in bringing these world-class attractions to the public.  Be sure and include a trip to Six Flags in your summer plans!

June Chores

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• Mow Weekly
• Finish planting spring flowers
• Mulch beds
• Treat for fire ants, mosquitoes, and caterpillars 

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Our goal is to fulfill the needs of the customer by providing timely, quality services and products.
Thanks for your business!

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Greg Hamann, Owner

Prime's Clippings May 2017

Oenothera Speciosa - Evening Primrose ... One of our beautiful local wildflowers!

Keepin' it Cool

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I spent April 22, Earth Day, immersed in some beautiful woods in Oklahoma, catching trout in a gorgeous river, and enjoying a nice campfire with lows In the forties. What a great way to celebrate a day that many folks don’t observe, but one that means a lot to a nature boy like me. The dogwoods and redbuds had finished their bloom, but wildflowers were abundant and the spring rains had everything lush and green. So for something a little different, I included a few photos from the woods of Tishomingo Oklahoma and some unique wildflowers in this newsletter. Enjoy!

May is historically our rainiest month and we have had some decent rains just about every week now, so hopefully we will maintain this pattern and get to enjoy a few more weeks of mild temperatures. The only drawback to cool nights is that weeds grow faster than lawns, but that should all change soon and grass will start to dominate.

Leave sprinklers off until rains disappear for a week or more, but  keep an eye on any new plants. We have been jumping into  80- 90 degree afternoons already and that can wilt newly planted flowers in just a day or so. But cool weather and frequent rains can bring on fungal problems like  brown patch in St. Augustine and leaf spot on hawthorns and photinias. Issues like these have to be addressed periodically, but again, we should be happy and take the rain over drought conditions anytime. And I’ll celebrate all the cool weather I can get before the July blast furnace comes on.

Remember our record setting rain fall in May 2015?

A Magical Mystery Quiz

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Anyone that can correctly identify these pictures can have free lawn mowing for a year! Wait, Greg just saw this and said only if I want to pay for it, so I guess that’s out. Besides, I can’t stand to keep secrets, so I’ll just go ahead and clue you in after the break.

You may have guessed that it is a leaf gall, but here’s the rest of the story: This is elm sack gall, caused by the elm aphid Tetraneura ulmi. Galls are deformities on plants that can be caused by insects, disease, or fungal pathogens. What is fascinating about this one (to me anyway) is that the aphid secretes a substance which causes the elm to grow this fuzzy red bulb, which the aphid then uses as a nursery/hotel to raise it’s brood. In June they emerge and drop to the ground to colonize the roots of certain grasses. They then fly back to the tree and deposit eggs in the bark to start the cycle again in spring. So they are using the elm to make little aphid hotels and don’t even feed on it! This tree was covered with hundreds. It looked like it was covered with berries. Fascinating!

Celebrating Wildflowers

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Many of our wildflowers bloomed earlier than normal again this year due to the unusually warm winter, but we had a pretty good show regardless. And it continues still! Here are a few I observed while celebrating Earth Day in Oklahoma, some you won’t see on the beaten path.

Meadow Parsnip growing along the shady edges of oak/cedar woodland, about 2 feet tall.



Tradescantia, or Spiderwort growing in low areas where moisture is abundant.
This is available in nurseries occasionally.



Blue eyed grass. This low little clumping grass is common in fields but you have to look for it. It blooms for about a month and is only 3-6 inches tall.

Now this group of pictures came two weeks ago from about 120 miles west of Fort Worth in Carbon Texas. Indian paintbrushes are most commonly seen in red-orange, but can also be white, yellow, pink, and magenta. I found a patch that had every color. Simply beautiful.

Sometimes the most beautiful gardens are those untouched by the hand of man.

May Chores

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• Mow Weekly
• Finish planting spring flowers
• Mulch beds
• Treat for fire ants

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Our goal is to fulfill the needs of the customer by providing timely, quality services and products.
Thanks for your business!

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Prime's Clippings April 2017

Looking Forward to a Great Spring

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I would say that this has not been a normal winter or start to spring time, but since this is north Texas normal weather is hard to define. The two hard freezes we had this winter burnt quite a few plants, and all the 80 and 90 degree days confused plants and insects, as well as some of us humans. I know I’m confused all too often these days.

Several of our spring plants bloomed weeks earlier than normal, including bluebonnets and Bridal wreath. Pansies have held up well this spring in most places, but patches were lost to the 3 days of teens and twenties in early January. Fortunately it’s about time to start changing out to summer color.

We have already had our first storm with damaging winds and hail, and we can expect more over the next two months. At least May is traditionally our wettest month. There is plenty of time to get new plants and sod in and have Mother Nature’s helping hand in getting them established before our hot weather arrives, but I guess that depends on how “normal” our weather is!

April is absolutely the busiest month of the year for gardening, so please be patient with us if we can’t always get right to you. We promise to do our best!

How to Water Newly Planted Shrubs and Trees

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A reminder for anyone planting new shrubs and trees.

Although sprinkler systems will supplement rains adequately on lawns and established plants, most new plants need to be thoroughly soaked once a week until they get established, and very few sprinkler systems are capable of soaking an entire root ball.

This means that if you do not receive a good soaking rain every 6-10 days, you need to get the old water hose out and hand water your new plants weekly.

The bigger the plant, the more important this is. Most plants like a well drained soil, so container grown plants are usually planted in an organic mix that drains very well. Plants are usually watered daily at the nursery and sometimes going without water for even a couple days can dry out the root ball to the point of damaging the plant. When your new plants are taken from that container and placed in soil, the same affect can be seen, although not quite as rapidly.

When a healthy plant fails within just a few weeks of installation, 90% of the time it is due to that root ball being allowed to dry out. We’ll chalk up 9% to the other culprit, over watering, and 1% to a damaged root ball.

Regarding sod, it must stay moist every day for the first few weeks until the roots establish. Give it a good soaking every few days or a light sprinkling every day.

Please help us keep your new plants looking good by watering correctly!

Almost Time for Summer Color

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The time is now to start making plans for your summer color!

The petunias we recently planted will make a for a big show through May. If you are a petunia person you will need to swap them out for hot weather plants like lantana or periwinkles in early June. But if you just have pansies or nothing at all in your beds then you can start planting summer flowers now so they can get rooted before hot weather.

There are so many choices, but low maintenance plants that are not finicky are a big factor for most of us. Few people have the time or inclination to constantly check and treat for insects or diseases, and we need plants that can outlast a long summer season with extreme temperatures. So with this demanding criteria, here are some proven winners and appropriate applications for them.

Full sun or afternoon sun areas:

Lantana is hands-down the toughest choice for high heat, and the absolute best choice for dryer beds. Some folks think lantana can get a little unruly, but there are new compact dwarf varieties that really perform and grow only to about 12 inches. Pentas are another heat lover with few problems, and for big accents use purple fountain grass, esperanza, and sun coleus. Scaevola is a great trailing plant in lavender or white, and Blackfoot daisy is a fragrant mounding/trailing plant—both great for rock walls, containers or borders.




Periwinkles love the heat but cannot be planted here until about mid-may due to pythium and rhizoctonia root rot when nights are cool or it is too wet. Dwarf zinnias can have similar issues if planted too early. Sweet potato vines are another great accent as long as you have the space for them or the time to periodically cut them back, and artemesias such as Dusty Miller or Powis Castle provide silvery foliage. Sunpatiens are a sun tolerant variety of impatiens and perform well with adequate water, but are usually quite a bit pricier.





Other choices for sun include Angelonia, Torenia, Salvia, Blue Daze, Moss Rose, and Purslane. Bronze begonias tolerate sun or shade so are great for those places that go in and out of the sun, but they struggle with uneven moisture, and with twice a week water restrictions it can be hard to keep them looking good in July-August.

Shade areas:
In the shade, caladiums and begonias are king with impatiens close behind. Impatiens need a little light to look good all summer. In heavy shade they tend to get leggy in July-August. Caladiums also need consistent water and once they start withering they take a long time to recover. You can also use foliage plants like shade coleus, Japanese painted fern, alternanthera, or lamium. We have had great luck with Dragon Wing Begonias in shade despite uneven watering. Like sunpatiens, these are normally a little more costly than some of the more common bedding plants, but grow really large and fill a lot of space..

Reminders

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E-mail
Please call or e-mail us to start getting your invoices and statements via e-mail. We will never share your contact information or blast you with solicitations. It is simply the most environmentally friendly and efficient way to do business.

Scheduling
During the spring season, we have many homeowners with different preferences for their mowing schedule. If you are not on a 12 month pro-rated contract, please let us know when you want to start weekly services. Also please give at least 24 hours notice to change a regular service.

April Chores

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• Aerate lawn
• Mow weekly
• Plant spring flowers & shrubs
• Mulch beds
• Treat fire ants
• Check/set irrigation system
• Start trimming hedges
• Weed control in beds
• Fertilize lawns and shrubs

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Our goal is to fulfill the needs of the customer by providing timely, quality services and products.
Thanks for your business!

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Prime's Clippings March 2017

Record Warm Temperatures, Hard Freezes

Another interesting winter brought us damaging freezes coupled with record high temperatures and overall dry conditions along with a flooding rain event in January. We finally have some more normal spring-like weather in the long term forecast, but the likelihood of a March freeze still holds true for another 20 days. Let’s try to be a little patient on tomatoes and begonias!

The recent rain was sorely needed, but weeds are now exploding onto the scene. Pre-emergent applications from the fall were pretty effective this year. We are applying broadleaf control for plants like dandelion and henbit now and spot spraying for certain grassy weeds like wild rye. Remember though that most of these plants have begun flowering already and it takes at least 2 weeks and 2 applications to knock these weeds down.

Our crews are busy wrapping up the spring cut-back of roses, perennials, and grasses, and it is already time to fire up the mowers and get your lawn cut down a few notches.

So here is our annual reminder:

If you are not on a year-round contract, please let us know when you are ready for mowing. If you did not place your service on hold over winter, we will start mowing the first two weeks of March.

We don’t want you to wonder where we are, but we also don’t want to start before you’re ready.

We will be evaluating freeze damage on a case by case basis throughout March and April. Some shrubs will recover, some will not. We recommend mowing down Asian jasmine and liriope groundcovers now, especially if they were burned. Call us if you have freeze damaged shrubs to evaluate.

This is also the time for fire ant control that is guaranteed all season, and dormant oil and systemic pesticide applications for the crape myrtle scale that is devastating crapes.

Ready or not, spring is on the way!

'Tis The Season For Fireants

Fire ants may be the most annoying pest of all. They do millions of dollars in damage each year to electrical equipment and agriculture, and swarm out when disturbed to inflict painful bites on children, pets, and any unsuspecting gardener. Fire ants can migrate miles when swarming and tunnel up to 20 feet deep! Permanent eradication is not possible.

We offer two fire ant programs. One is the Texas Two Step program recommended by Texas A&M. We broadcast a bait product throughout your property and use a contact insecticide on visible mounds. This will need to be done 3-4 times a year. Baits offer the lowest environmental impact and least cost, but are slower acting and we cannot guarantee control.

We also offer a season-long product that we apply over the entire property. It will eliminate existing colonies and create a barrier to prevent new swarms from moving in. When done in March—April we guarantee control for 8 months!

Prices start at just $20 each for the Texas Two Step treatments when done with your regular lawn applications and $155 one time for the guaranteed annual service.

= OUCH!

Pond Clean-Outs Are Starting

String algae is the bane of pond owners. As much as we love our beautiful water features, we equally despise string algae. 

Since aquatic plants have not come out of dormancy and cool water temperatures reduce the bacteria colonies in your filters and gravel, conditions are optimal for the growth of string algae. 

Algae is a natural, healthy organism in any natural water feature, but it can bloom suddenly in a matter of days and become unsightly. 

We start our annual clean outs this month, changing the water, washing down the gravel and removing the sludge, cleaning the filters, trimming and thinning out water plants, and changing the water to get your pond started on the right foot for spring. 

Give Spencer a call to book your spot for your spring clean out!

Thank You For Your Business

Spring is upon us in full force. 

We want to thank all our clients who started on their spring projects with us a month or two ago when we had a little more free time, and we appreciate the patience of all of you who are now calling in for landscape projects and having to wait a few days for your estimates. 

We will do our best to get to whatever you need as quickly as we can. We look forward to working with you this coming season. 

And remember, email is a great way to communicate with us: contactus@primelandscapeservices.com

March Chores:

· Mow 1-2 notches lower

· Mulch beds

· Make last major pruning changes to overgrown shrubs

· Prune low limbs on trees

· Prune dormant perennials and fountain grasses

· Plant and transplant trees and shrubs

· Apply pre-emergent and broadleaf herbicides

· Change water and clean water gardens and koi ponds

Prime's Clippings February 2017

75 Degrees? Winter Must Be Over!

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Ha! This is the exact headline I used last year and the temperature was identical today! The differences so far this winter have been the early hard freeze and the vicious follow-up freeze that did some damage to some of our borderline zone 8 plants like pittosporum and ligustrum, but it’s too early to tell if there is permanent damage just yet.

We are continuing to stay somewhat dry in spite of a couple flooding rains, and way too many warm days to call it much of a winter. Still, we have a long ways to go before we are out of the freeze zone. If we get more rain the weeds will explode onto the scene in February, and trees may start to bud early.

We are busy putting out our first winter weed application, but remember, one application won't cure all your weed problems! We recommend our 7 step yearly lawn application program or at the very least the 3 most important weed control applications in winter, spring, and fall for best results.

Our crews are also out trimming crape myrtles and cutting back roses, perennials, and grasses, so please let us know if you are not already on a regular schedule for these chores.

My official prediction: Regardless of what the weather is doing, Spring will begin March 20. I don’t think I can go wrong with that one.

     

Our Annual Mulch Special Continues Through February

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Mulching your beds is absolutely the best thing you can do for the health of your soil and plants. Mulch reduces weeds, improves soil structure, conserves moisture, protects plants from extreme cold and summer heat, and gives your beds a neat appearance.

How much do you need? We recommend adding 2” to existing mulch or 3” to unmulched areas. A 2 cu ft bag will cover about 10 sq ft 2” deep or 7 sq ft 3” deep.

Take advantage now! 
Mention our newsletter for 20% off normal prices.

DISCOUNTED PRICE
Hardwood: $5.00 per 2 cu ft bag
Dark brown, enriches soil as it decomposes

Cedar: $5.85 per 2 cu ft bag
Great cedar smell, lighter color, lasts longer

Red or Black Mulch: $5.60 per 2 cu ft bag
For a decorative look

Prices include delivery and installation; extra charges may apply for weeding or leaf clean ups if needed.

Winter To-Do List

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February is the month to transplant trees, shrubs, and many perennials. If you have something that doesn’t quite fit and has not been in the ground too many years, now is the time to find it a new home. Try to keep as much soil around the root ball as you can and water with root stimulator and liquid fish/seaweed emulsion to help the plant survive.

While trees are still void of foliage, prune to remove mistletoe, low limbs, and perform corrective pruning for crossed limbs, weak forks, and other potential hazards. It is much easier to see what needs to be done when the leaves are off.

Cut back ornamental fountain grasses, roses, and groundcovers such as liriope and Asian jasmine this month. We are strongly recommending that everyone have their liriope (monkey grass) cut back every year. There is a fungal crown rot that is infecting liriope throughout the area. It is a serious disease that will slowly kill out large patches of your bed and has no practical chemical control. Cutting the plant back in late winter is one of the recommended preventative measures along with avoiding too much water.

This is also the time for  severe pruning of overgrown shrubs, or shall we say perhaps a shrub that may not have been planted in the best location? Regardless, you can cut many shrubs back to wood now with a good chance they will leaf back out in spring.

Veggie gardeners have a lot on their plate this month. It is time to plant many cool weather leafy and root vegetables, including onions, carrots, kale, peas, broccoli, collards and most all greens, and even lettuce. You may still have to cover tender new plants a few times, but all of these are at their best before temperatures get hot.

Early Bloomers

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With a mild winter like we have had so far, it’s easy to start getting spring fever a little early. Some of our plants get it too, and there are several that will start blooming in the next few weeks. Some of these are old-timey garden favorites and well worth considering for your yard. These plants aren’t just helping to brighten our winter days with color. They also provide much needed early forage for  the honey bee and other wildlife.

Flowering quince, Chaenomeles japonica,  is a rather non-descript shrub in the summer, best suited for the back of the bed or tucked in with other evergreen shrubs. But in February it is spectacular in pinks, whites, or reds.

Forsythia, Forsythia intermedia spectablis, is the arching shrub of bright yellow that you may even see at old abandoned homesites.

Not to be confused with forsythia is Lady Banks rose, Rosa banksiae. It is equally brilliant but needs a large space or pergola to climb over, and usually blooms a little later. White varieties are available too.

Not as showy as some but well worth having in your shade garden is the Leatherleaf mahonia, Mahonia bealei. These bloom in cluster of yellow in Jan. — Feb and form grape-like clusters of blue fruits, a favorite food of the cedar waxwing. The coarsely toothed bluish green foliage is interesting year-round.

Down a little lower to ground, daffodils, jonquils, and paper whites are emerging, and some of the earlier types will be in bloom shortly. Do you have a few sprinkled in your beds?

The winter flowering honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima, is a shrub form of the honeysuckle family that is desirable for its fragrance, and bees love it.

Winter flowering jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, is a low sprawling shrub with fragrant yellow flowers,  and like lonicera, it has attractive foliage during summer as well.

Several of our fruit trees will bloom in February, but my favorite is the native wild plum, Prunus texana or Prunus Mexicana. They are covered with creamy white blooms that fill the entire yard with sweet fragrance, produce fruit for wildlife and jelly making, and are tough as nails to boot. What more can a Texas gardener ask for?

February Chores

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• Cut back Asian jasmine, liriope, and roses
• Treat crape myrtles with dormant oil for bark scale
• Make major pruning changes to overgrown shrubs
• Prune low limbs on trees
• Prune dormant perennials and fountain grasses
• Plant and transplant trees and shrubs
• Apply pre-emergent and broadleaf herbicides
• Change water and clean water gardens and koi ponds

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Our goal is to fulfill the needs of the customer by providing timely, quality services and products.
Thanks for your business!

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Prime's Clippings January 2017

H a p p y   N e w   Y e a r !

Welcome 2017!

Daffodils- Coming soon to a yard near you!

We hope everyone enjoyed the end of year festivities and the pleasant Christmas weather. We have already had a harder freeze than we did in all of last winter so it will be interesting to see what else transpires over the next three months.

We are always excited about the possibilities a new year brings. We are expanding our facilities, working on our operations, and actively seeking well qualified employees so that we can provide you with even better services in 2017. We value your feedback, so please help us to serve you better by letting us know what you need. Emailing contactus@primelandscapeservices.com is a great way to reach us or let us know what you think we could do to improve our services.

As we reflect on last year’s successes and shortcomings, we wish you a great and happy new year!

Our Annual Mulch Special is Here

Mulching your beds is absolutely the best thing you can do for the health of your soil and plants.

Remember: mulch reduces weeds, improves soil structure, conserves moisture, protects plants from extreme cold and summer heat, and gives your beds a neat appearance.

How much do you need? We recommend adding 2” to existing mulch or 3” to unmulched areas. A 2 cu. ft. bag will cover about 10 sq. ft. 2” deep or 7 sq. ft. 3” deep

Take advantage now! 

Mention our newsletter for 20% off normal prices.

DISCOUNTED PRICE:

Hardwood: $5.00 per 2 cu ft bag

Dark brown, enriches soil as it decomposes

Cedar: $5.85 per 2 cu ft bag

Great cedar smell, lighter color, lasts longer

Red or Black Mulch: $5.60 per 2 cu ft bag

For a decorative look

Prices include delivery and installation; extra charges may apply for weeding or leaf clean ups if needed.

What to do in Winter

Remember that we do clean gutters!

Leaves: Most of our leaves are down and we should finish the last of our leaf clean ups in early January. Some trees like Shumard oak are still holding their leaves but should finish dropping any day now. Live oaks drop in Feb - March, giving us another round of  leaf clean-ups in late winter. If we haven’t gotten to yours and at any time this winter you need a clean up please call to let us know.

Weeds: Our first round of Spring pre-emergent weed control will start in January-February. This application and the next one in March also contain a broadleaf weed killer for any dandelions, henbit, or chickweed that may have come up over the last few months. Even when they are caught early it still takes two applications to kill them. With a wet winter so far and more rain predicted it may be a banner year for weeds. Please note that grassy winter weeds like wild rye and rescue grass are very difficult to control. They require spot treatments with specialty herbicides which take several weeks to work.

Pruning: Most perennials are dormant now and need to be cut back. Ornamental fountain grasses like Maiden and Muhly grasses look nice for awhile after dormancy but will start to shed and get messy. We will start cutting those back in January as well. Roses should be cut back in February. Winter is also the time to make drastic cuts if you are trying to reduce the size of overgrown shrubs.                                          

Groundcovers: Our liriope and Asian jasmine groundcovers should be cut back before they start to put out new growth in spring, and with our unpredictable winters it is hard to pick the best time. We normally wait until the end of January to avoid exposing them to temperatures in the teens.

Transplanting: January is a good month for transplanting shrubs and dividing most perennials. However, it is not always practical to transplant large shrubs or trees for several reasons: There are often sprinkler pipes or other plants in close proximity, making it difficult to excavate an appropriate root ball. The labor for transplanting may equal or exceed the cost to install a new plant. And there is always a higher mortality with transplants than with container plants. 

Tree Trimming: Limb structure is easiest to see when trees are dormant, so winter is a good time to clean up your trees. Remember in Arlington that tree limbs by city code must be kept 14 ft above the street. This is a good idea regardless of where you live, so your limbs are not damaged by delivery trucks and they do not impede emergency vehicles like fire trucks.

Planting: Our constant reminder! Fall and winter are our best seasons for planting new shrubs and trees to avoid moisture stress and get the root systems established before summer!

Planning: And if you are a spring gardener, start lining up your improvement plans now! We routinely book out for several weeks starting in March.

Got Ice? We Can Help.

Don’t let a winter storm shut your business down or create a hazardous situation for people trying to access your home or business!

We aid several of our commercial properties with snow and ice removal, salting, and sanding. We are ready again should the need arise, and can even help homeowners with ice melt for steep driveways and sidewalks.

Please call us ahead of time and let us know if you would like de-icing or snow removal services for your home or business before the next big storm.

A Word About Crape Myrtle Trimming

Crape myrtles are traditionally pruned in January. The horticulturally correct method is to treat a standard tree-form crape like any other tree. Prune entire branches to allow more sunlight into the canopy and reduce overcrowding, remove low branches that are in the way, remove water sprouts and suckers, and strip the seed pods if their appearance bothers you or cut tips of limbs no larger than a pencil. 

However, many properties and some homeowners want their crapes kept within a certain size range and this limit requires “topping” or more drastic cutting of the crowns. Since we have to administer both techniques, be sure to let us know if you have a preference.