Perhaps you see them too -- the butchers, cutting the crape myrtles back to large stubby trunks. I am sorry if I offend a few people, but where did this tradition begin and why does it continue - Someone tell me -- please.
So why do some gardeners and commercial companies take off a lot more? One friend of mine says it's so they don't have to come back later and do more pruning. Well, if you don't prune them at all, you get a small tree or shrub that needs little if any pruning.
Others say they have crape myrtles that get too tall. My thought is you then have the wrong plant or wrong crape myrtle for the spot. Crape myrtles can grow from 2 feet to over 20 feet tall and wide. You need to select the right variety for your landscape. If you would like to check out the great variations in crape myrtles, download this University of Florida Extension bulletin Crape Myrtle in Florida -- http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG266