Do the leaves regain turgor in the evening, or during cooler temperatures in general? Does the soil in the root zone feel moist when the plant is wilted? If so, then don't water it; a bit of wilting during sunlight or intense heat is normal and should be tolerated. If, however, the leaves stay wilted at night, and the soil around the roots feels dry, then it is probably wise to water the plant. What needs to be remembered is that too much water could also cause the roots to rot in certain kinds of soils, and this would also cause the plant to wilt as if it were dry (because a plant affected by that problem doesn't have enough roots to take up the amount of water it needs). In such a case, watering is merely adding to the problem, so it pays to diagnose the cause of wilting as accurately as possible.

Stefan

Don't worry.
Crapes sulk to the point of sometimes losing all their leaves and pretending to be dead. I have a 'Red Rocket' right now that's nothing but sticks and about 3'' of soft new leaves at the end of a few branches. It checks out the side of its eyes to see if I'm paying attention to its drama.

Keep them watered if you have good drainage, be careful with it if they're in a clay "bowl." Crapes put all their energy into establishing a root system, just as you suspect. With this heat and if you're any where near me, drought? You're blessed that the blossoms stayed and the others aren't sulking, too!

If they receive enough water, the next spring they'll be fabulous. Note that they are very late to leaf out, so don't be surprised if you don't have leaf buds until mid May and sometimes as late as early June.

Are you sure they're a 'Sanchez' and not 'Natchez?' What color are they? If they are the latter, I hope you planned for a 30-40' tree....

Christine

You are right, it is a Natchez with white flowers. Each one is about 6' right now. I planted them along a 60' fence and hope they all reach 20-30' to block the view behind my yard.

Thanks for the advice. The leaves do return to a healthy appearance during the evening and look fine in the mornings. I checked the soil and it is moist with about 3 inches of good mulch to keep it cool. I am glad to know all is well.

The other issue with them is that they are very bushy. I was planning on thining them out next spring before the leaves come out.

I was told that crapes will grow about 2 feet a year. Is that what I should expect?

thanks again,

Chris

Depending upon your environment, 2-3' a year.

Natchez, since they're larger, do better with 5 trunks. Thin out the interior trunks or anything that is rubbing on another. They get very strong and broad, so you want them to have lots of space. Also "limb up" or take off the horizontal-ish branches from the ground up. As they get taller, you can limb up higher and higher so you can walk and/or mow under them easily.

If you're not happy with the trunks, for example, they're "y" shaped vs. trunk-like? Just be patient. As you prune up, they'll put out more suckers. You want for a nice straight one coming out of the root (vs. off the trunk) and keep that, removing something interior or less desireable.

These are lovely, dramatic trees with great bark. Congrats on a very nice fence line in the not-so-distant future!

Christine