just.wing.it
Deadwood Head
Crape Myrtle is consistently late for me....but usually the Bald Cypress are also late, but they were weirdly early this year.
What tree of yours leafs out the latest?
- Thread starter Mikecheck123
- Start date
hemmy
Omono
Zelkova, by over a month. Unless you count my Baobab which is all confused and keeps leaves into January and won’t wake up until June.
SilverShoe99
Mame
My gingko was the last to leaf out this year.
Mikecheck123
Omono
Is there anything in common among species that leaf out late? Seems like beech, crepe myrtle, and zelkova are the repeat offenders. I can't think of anything that would relate them from a geographic or evolutionary perspective. Seems like pure coincidence.
TN_Jim
Omono
This is just a hypothetical...
Virtually any new leaf can be burned or killed off by a frost. The cuticle etc. is not yet developed, very vulnerable, especially to frost. I’ve seen this frost damage in tough evergreen species such as boxwood and holly.
Beech seem to prefer putting out a single flush of leaves. Folks here have executed techniques to get them to flush multiple times, but that’s of course unnatural. So, it may be much more economical to delay cranking up the photosynthesis machine as an effort to preserve resources attributed to leaves, rather than risk loosing them to a frost.
Beech here also tend to be a little more upland species -more wind, more cold..
Crape myrtles, sort of the same idea as beech. They are a subtropical species and therefore more vulnerable to cold than others....why risk it, even if you respond well to pruning etc..
At work, all trees look great, except for that patch of crape myrtles that leafed out kinda early and then fried by the last frost a week ago...these trees have been outside for awhile now, but were previously in warm greenhouse...
Zelcova..? Not familiar enough to comment.
Thanks
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
Some species are looking for a certain number of "cold hours" before they consider budding out. I guess it keeps them from accidently pushing new growth during a brief warm spell in winter. If they don't get enough cold hours, then wait and wait in spring, and push late. That could explain some of the late moving trees in warmer climates - evolved for colder winters and are confused by the mild winters.
Mikecheck123
Omono
I like this theory a lot. My wisteria doesn't seem like a species that evolved in polar regions, but if it's actually looking for cold days in zone 10, it's probably very confused.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
To support this, my wisteria has been out for weeks and I am zone 6.
Mikecheck123
Omono
Is it an American variety? My Chinese wisteria has been out for two months.
River's Edge
Imperial Masterpiece
My latest tree to leaf out is just in the process. Copper beech. the first leaf on the uppermost twig just opened today!
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
My American variety, Amethyst Falls, has been out about 3 weeks. My Chinese, about 6 weeks.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
That is interesting. All my elms, including a weeping winged elm, have been out for several weeks. My oaks just woke up and my beeches are just beginning.
Rabe
Sapling
Beech, every year.
augustine
Chumono
European beech.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
Eastern white pine is notoriously late in my yard.
Japanese black pine too by the way.
Japanese black pine too by the way.
erich_raudebaugh
Shohin
This year the winner for tardiness is my dwarf Korean fir, a newcomer to my garden. My dwarf wisteria (millettia) is always late too and is only now pushing buds. Another late one is ilex crenata (probably because it's a dwarf variety).
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Odd, mine are full out. Cool little plants by the way.
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