Crape Myrtle rejuvenation

Once upon a time we had a lovely Crape Myrtle (#1) in the garden but the storm, Irene, destroyed our Acer Negundo, which lost limbs that fell on it. (#2)

#3 shows how it looked afterward with suckers (since removed) at least showing us it was still alive.

#4 shows how it looks currently.

#5 another current photo to show branch structure.

Should I prune out more branches? How far up do I go?

Using the last photo as a guide, the limb on the right concerns me the most. Any advice would be appreciated. The side shoots that rise up seem to crowd the center. Do I remove them or not? Or do I remove them one at a time, stand back, judge, then either stop or remove more?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

I'd be tempted to do some tough love, if you're going to end up with the beautiful plant you started with.
I think crepe myrtles put out such awkward growth wherever limbs are cut,
that it destroys the otherwise beautiful natural trunk growth pattern.
I'd be tempted to coppice (I'm not sure if that's the right term) every affected limb to the ground in late winter, even if that means all of them.
In my climate, we used to routinely cut crepe myrtles to the ground every spring,
since the above ground parts weren't sufficiently hardy.
So I know from experience, vigorous new growth will come up
and reform a more natural looking crepe myrtle in no time.
But I'm interested to hear advice from people who are more knowledgeable.

My heart is sinking, Scott!

Let's see what others say. I did read about cutting them to the ground and the article said..."In five years you'll have the beauty back". At 72 and 83 that's a risky proposition!

no, no, no. don't remove any of them. the right limb, as well as all the others, will get bigger and stronger. when you keep committing "crepe murder", you are weakening the tree. florida is the "murder" capital of the u.s. and time and again, people are told to leave them alone by experts but our local landscapers do not listen.
only cut out any crossed branches that rub each other. you can do a light trimming to shape but i would wait until next year for that.
pirl, has this plant survived winters intact in the past? or have you always had to prune away dead each spring?

My only pruning has been for suckers.

I've read a lot about crape murder and the need to select the right cultivar for the space a person has. This is ideal for the area and never overwhelmed it in the past.

Winters have never bothered it at all.

well, i think it's got a pretty wonderful shape right now...so them's my 2 cents! lol

Thanks. I think it's too thick in the middle but so am I.

aren't we all????

pirl:

If you have no objection to the "looks" of this plant, then continue on the pruning path as you've chosen.

If it were me - and I'll admit to not having the wisdom of years that you possess - I would cut it down to the ground and let it re-form new strong stems/trunks. I think the problem with the current conformation is that all those fine branches are sprouts off older larger trunks, and none have very good attachment.

HOWEVER - one might say "carpe diem" and let the plant as it exists just keep growing.

I don't think either choice is a wrong answer. "Do or do not - there is no try."

Thanks, VV. Given our ages, I think we'll leave it as is but I still may do more interior pruning so the structure can be seen more clearly.

Love your words, "...having the wisdom of years that you possess..." - what a day brightener! Thanks.

The problem was, obviously, that I allowed the Acer Negundo to grow. It should have been removed as soon as we spotted it. They are very weak limbed trees and for all we spent having limbs removed we could have had a nice tree that would provide some shade, fall color, etc.

This is how I was greeted the morning after the storm as I gasped looking out of the French doors.

I appreciate all the help and advice - thanks to all who posted.

Irene was a beast...

...and Sandy was her sister!

Sounds too scary to live in your neck of the woods.
You should consider relocating to the hurricane-free center of the country!
We just have to dodge the occasional tornado. Small fry in comparison.

Now the major trees have been destroyed, except for a lot of 55 year old spruces. When they come tumbling down we'll move to MO and watch tornadoes!

Or you are welcome to come to the Pacific Northwest. We never have tornadoes or hurricanes -just the occasional massive earthquake or volcano!

Um...I think I'll stay here but thanks for the invitation.

Lagerstromias are strong rebounders, the sucker sprouts that are growing towards the center will also increase in diameter as the tree grows trying to vie for apical dominance. They look mighty close now, if they begin to grow together and develop included bark in the crotch it could suffer in a high wind scenario. And put you in a worse position. Personally, I would wait until spring and prune back all but the furthest right branch, off that original main stem, then in following years only prune what is dead, diseased or causing harm the structure. This may make the tree look a bit off kilter for a season or two but it will allow the tree to grow in a more natural shape in the end.

Thank you for your views.