What is more interesting to me is that although she prunes the crepes down to the trunk each winter, is that you said they don't flower very well for her. Since crepes flower on new growth, she should be enjoying huge waterspout flowerheads.

Are these crepes still in full sun? Or, is the soil overly wet? Maybe it's time to try some triple phosphate on them this spring to really jolt the plants into flower initiation.

I did a test once... I had two identical CM's - one I "murdered" and one I didn't. They both bloomed the same... only one had a much nicer shape. I do not see where "murder" improves flowering at all.

Any tips on how close to the ground to remove the limbs? The one in front of the house has multiple limbs that have no side branches til you get close to the top. Classic poor pruning, I think. Should I remove to the ground or just remove half of the limbs (i.e, would they be able to form a tree shape if I leave 2 feet of bare vertical limbs sticking up with no side branches)? Should I fertilize and/or water more, less, not at all? Is there anything else I can do to minimize the shock?

For the crape in front of my porch, I do need to keep it from growing too high (I don't know the species-I didn't plant it). Should I cut it back too to try and obtain a natural tree shape, and if I do, how do I prune it to control vertical growth without crape murder?

Thanks to all.