The Poplar Bluff Garden Club, a member of the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, will be offering "Crepe Murder? Solve the Mystery!" an educational seminar. The emphasis is on how to properly prune your crepe myrtle(s) and encourage healthy growth.
The seminar will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce Community Room, Business Highways 60/67. The cost is $10 and will include refreshments and a light lunch.
To register, go by the Chamber of Commerce, 573-785-7761, or call Jane Arnold at 573-785-4042. You may wish to bring your own pruning tools if you have them.
Featured speaker will be Angela White, professional horticulturist, certified arborist and consultant in the area.
Topics covered will be "Get acquainted with Poplar Bluff's Crepe Myrtle Program," History and Origin of the Crepe Myrtle," "The Right Plant--The Right Place," "Crepe Myrtle Forms, Colors and Complementary Plants,"
The group will break for lunch with time for questions and answers. Immediately after lunch "We Take the Mystery out of Pruning" with a demonstration of proper pruning and pruning tools. Afterwards, we will go to the Catholic Cemetery for your hands-on part of the workshop. Members will demonstrate and you'll be able to actually prune some of the crape myrtles in the cemetery.
Crepe Myrtles are a shrub/tree, depending on how you prune them. They grow well in the area although it is about as far north as they thrive. They are easy to care for, don't mind hot summers, like plenty of sunshine, and come in colors of red, pink, white, lavender, and there are miniature varieties too.
The Poplar Bluff Garden Club has been encouraging Poplar Bluff homeowners and businesses to plant crepe myrtles and eventually make Poplar Bluff known as the "Crepe Myrtle Capital of Missouri". Wouldn't it be great if people drove into PB just to see the lovely, colorful crepe myrtles and to shop while here?