Crepe myrtles come on slow in spring

Q: I’m so disappointed and very sad! Last year I planted several crepe myrtle plants in my backyard. Now, my neighbor’s lilacs and forsythia, and a shrub she calls flowering quince, are in full bloom and my crepe myrtles look like dead sticks! Is there something I didn’t do for them and now they are dead? Suggestions on what to replace them with? Help! — A.C., Bernalillo

A: I’m happy to report that I doubt the crepe myrtles are in fact dead. Crepe myrtles are a very quirky plant and usually the very last ones to show signs of life. At your altitude, living in Bernalillo, I’d be surprised if any of the crepes wake up before the end of April.

I don’t know if they are lazy or remarkably smart, knowing to wait as long as they do to pop out of dormancy. I wouldn’t pull them out, as I believe they are still very much alive, just waiting until it’s their time to pop. The average last frost here in the Metro is April 18 and since you are higher, don’t look for them to wake up until the end of April. Know that crepe myrtles like the heat. With it being chilly still, they are just biding their time.

So please, don’t be discouraged, continue to water periodically, and rest assured that when your neighbor’s spring bloomers are finished, yours will be just coming on to offer gobs of color as the season advances.

Q: I am so ready to put my tropical hibiscus back outdoors. Too soon, you think? — C.S., Albuquerque

A: Too soon, I know! The word in the plant’s name should be your first clue. Tropical.

It’s not consistently warm outdoors yet and hibiscus, rosa-sinensis, aren’t meant to grow in the cold. Not like their cousin H. syriacus that will usually withstand the winter months planted outside here. You brought your tropicals in for the winter, and I personally do not think we’re finished with some chilly temperatures yet. I’d suggest waiting until the first week of May, and even then be ready to offer protection if the weather doesn’t stay warm.

Q: Has the city announced it’s annual green waste pick-up service dates for this spring yet? — G.T., Albuquerque

A: Looking for this information on the city’s website, cabq.gov, I am happy to announce that, yes, the dates are set. Starting April 28 through May 9, city workers will collect the spring landscape tidyings you have amassed.

The rules are still in force, and I ask that you respect them. The city is offering this service, so please don’t try to take advantage, OK?

On the day of your regular refuse pick-up (bin emptying) set bags of the stuff you have collected — remembering to keep each bag under a 40-pound limit — about 5 feet away from your garbage bins. You can collect and pile up branches and smaller limbs too as long as they are kept to a 4-foot length and bundled together, again watch for that 40-pound limit.

Remember that this service is for green waste only. No roof shingles, no oil changes from your vehicles, no rocks or boulders, no construction materials, old tires or containers of used cat litter.

So, mark your calendars and get to tidying your landscape spaces knowing that stuff can be whisked away soon for free and used to create mulch products for use by the city.

Happy Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.