For trees breaking dormancy there are three standout candidates for the first one into leaf: Betula ermanii, Prunus maackii Amber Beauty and Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer.
When a tree is early to leaf it corresponds that it is early to fall and this is certainly true of Betula erma tllow in late September onwards before shedding its leaves completely in October when most other genus are still going strong. On the other hand, Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer is one of the last trees to lose its leaves making it a good candidate for screening as the cost can be a lot lower than evergreen varieties.
For most trees, leafing up later is a defence mechanism to prevent young tender leaves getting scotched by late frosts. The young foliage on Oak and Ash will go black if it suffers this fate. Tture is not wasteful and this is why Que and Fraxinus are the last two genus to leaf up at Barcham in the spring.
For those of you planning events in the garden it is often possible to pick a variety that is performing on the month you most want it to. Give us a call on 01353 720950 for more details on this of email us on info@barchamtrees.co.uk
