Freeze damage to Crapemyrtles - Ask Extension
Last night's freeze severely damaged the new spring foliage on my crapemyrtle trees.It is dark colored (mostly brown) and hanging limply from the bran...
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Freeze damage to Crapemyrtles #929132
Asked April 21, 2026, 3:46 PM EDT
Last night's freeze severely damaged the new spring foliage on my crapemyrtle trees.It is dark colored (mostly brown) and hanging limply from the branches. Should I remove it? Will new foliage grow? The trees were pruned in mid-late March and were beginning to leaf out nicely until now.
Thanks for your help.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi Ruth,
I wouldn't give up yet!
Your crepe myrtle is suffering from winter burn, but is likely still alive. You can check by scraping the bark off of one of the branches; if the branch is green inside then the branch - and the tree - is alive.
You can prune off any dead branches for appearance sake.
Depending on how much damage has been done, it could take a couple of years for new growth to fil in.
Here's the link to our Extension page on managing crepe myrtles: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/crapemyrtle-identify-and-manage-problems
Thanks for contacting us.
Judy
I wouldn't give up yet!
Your crepe myrtle is suffering from winter burn, but is likely still alive. You can check by scraping the bark off of one of the branches; if the branch is green inside then the branch - and the tree - is alive.
You can prune off any dead branches for appearance sake.
Depending on how much damage has been done, it could take a couple of years for new growth to fil in.
Here's the link to our Extension page on managing crepe myrtles: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/crapemyrtle-identify-and-manage-problems
Thanks for contacting us.
Judy
