Best Time to Transplant?

My mother has several small to about 4 ft. crepe myrtles that have started near older plants. I would like to transplant these smaller plants along the drive and around my newly constructed house. First, when is the best time of year to transplant them. Second, how do I go about it to best insure the transplant works and last, when is the best time of year to thin out a crepe myrtle?

-- Vickie


Anne's Response:

Prune and thin out crepe myrtles before they begin to put out new spring growth in April. The small crepe myrtles may be root suckers from the parent plant or they may be seedlings. Rook suckers will be identical to the parent plant; you can gently remove soil until you find the root system of the plant you want to move to determine whether it is a separate plant grown from seed or a plant that has sprouted from a damaged root of the parent plant. If the plants are seedlings you have no idea what color they will be or the ultimate size of the plant. In either case the plants can be moved in January or February.