Not long ago, I received the following email: “I have two crape myrtle trees in my front yard, one about 25 years old and one about 10 years old. They are in full sun. They usually bloom later than other similar trees in our neighborhood, but five years ago, neither one had a single blossom. The following year, they bloomed as usual, then the next year, nothing. Last year, they had lots of flowers, but this year, nary a one. The older tree was pruned three years ago in the winter but other than that, all other variables except the weather have remained constant. When there are flowers, they are pale pink. Your thoughts?” – Karen Burkland, Sherman Oaks

My first thought was that trees had grown up over the crape myrtles in question and taken away their light. In truth, crape myrtles can blo

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