Collected Crape Myrtle…opinions?

[SmallTreeGuy]

Hello all,

Zone 8a. I am getting new landscaping put in and in an attempt to beat the landscapers, I dug out one of four, 25’ Crape Myrtles in my front yard. I have the option of getting all 4 obviously but I don’t think I have the time (or energy) for all of them before work is started next week.

All pieces collected from the one Myrtle are tied in these grow boxes I made from plastic containers. I’m a woodworker/carpenter by trade and am a little bit embarrassed to admit that I did not build grow boxes for these due to not enough “extra time” (that time was spent Sawzall and the tree lol). Anyways, that’s a “cobbler’s children have no shoes” kind of situation for me.

Anyways, here are the 4 that I divided from one. Any opinions on these? They range from 16-20 or so inches in height and the large one’s diameter is about 10 inches across with hollowed out deadwood on the back side (not shown). The hollowed space in the large trunk is around 50-60 percent of that trunk.

What are your opinions on the long-term potential of these?

 

[Mike Westervelt]

You're not a small tree guy anymore, those look very promising.
Good luck with their survival.

 

[Shibui]

The big chops on big stumps will need some imagination and skills to deal with in order that they won't just be stumps for years and years. Hope you have some good carving tools and skills to match.
The leaning trunk with the rot appeals to me as most likely to be easiest to convert.

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

The big chops on big stumps will need some imagination and skills to deal with in order that they won't just be stumps for years and years. Hope you have some good carving tools and skills to match.
The leaning trunk with the rot appeals to me as most likely to be easiest to convert.

Hopefully I can use my carpentry and woodworking skills for a living tree and keep it alive! I am a Woodworker mainly, but also sculpt in brass and other metals for detailing on my pieces (I build bespoke furniture on commission for a living).

Gonna take my time with these and get them healthy for a while before I consider any design work. Thanks for the input!

 

[Gabler]

Be sure the roots are fully covered. It looks like I can see the stump ends of the roots on the big one. Mound up the soil over the roots if you need to.

 

[Bonsai Turtle]

nice...I would reach out to other club members or post on FB marketplace. Others might have the time/resources for the rest of them.

 

[BrianBay9]

Maybe you should chainsaw a little bear cub out of that first trunk? Jk. Seriously, gonna need to figure out how to get rid of a lot of wood!

 

[Jmontee]

Graham Potter is the king of removing lots of wood so I would watch some of his videos! With your wood working skills you should be able to figure something out, Im sure. I also agree with lots of time to let these trees recover before working. You will never know what to do with that big stump until you have branches to choose from.

Good luck they look awesome!

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

Graham Potter is the king of removing lots of wood so I would watch some of his videos! With your wood working skills you should be able to figure something out, Im sure. I also agree with lots of time to let these trees recover before working. You will never know what to do with that big stump until you have branches to choose from.

Good luck they look awesome!

I’ve actually been watching a lot of his videos with his carving. I know how to carve but I’m focusing on how to carve on a tree and how nutrients flow up the trunk and just how it lives in general so I know where to make the best cuts for the design and the tree. I don’t wanna kill it due to uneducated cutting!

and yes, so much wood to remove! Who knows…that big one might just be a funny honker of a bonsai. I recently watched one of his videos where he had this huge stump and did a lot of deadwood carving as well as a lot of wood removal to get it to an acceptable starting point to continue development. I really find his videos super informative and interesting to watch.

 

[Michael P]

Yes, definitely let the trees recover and sprout new branches before you carve. Conventional bonsai wisdom says, "No dead wood on deciduous trees. It will rot and doesn't look natural." But crape myrtle wood is very hard and durable. So don't be afraid to be creative on one or more of them.