Beech hedge slower to leaf this year?

How is your beech hedge doing so far this spring?

The first hint of green appeared on some of the buds in my beech hedge yesterday (Kildare), though the buds are still pointy and unopened. Last year this happened 10 days earlier.

Drifter50

Not sure whats going on this year
We were only talking about this at the weekend, they don`t look look like its spring at all this year, seems still in hibernation

mikep

Same here in Thurles.

Although major leaf drop happening at the moment
Local trees are almost in full leaf now.

I expect the recent cold weather really slowed things down.

Harry Palmr

Yep they look at thier barest at the moment with just a few clearly in new leaf.

Stihl waters

We were only talking about this last week myself and my mother who's an avid gardener, she put it down to cold weather too late into spring, it seems to have rebounded well in last couple of days

Mullaghteelin

In Dublin airport the first 3 weeks of April were about as cold as a typical January. Not sure how the rest of the country fared.

magicbastarder

fairly typical for me, i think - end april/early may for coming into leaf.

Jim_Hodge

It's always May before the beech hedge starts to leaf up here.

athlone573

It also depends how much sun it gets, the sun is higher in the sky now in case there was a hedge or building in the way.

exaisle

athlone573 wrote: »

It also depends how much sun it gets, the sun is higher in the sky now in case there was a hedge or building in the way.

The amount of sun impacts on the soil temperature and I think it's that which triggers new growth. As an earlier post says, the first three weeks of April were quite cold so the soil hasn't warmed up yet, hence what appears to be a later start. It's always May here before we see actual leaves appear but I can see that most of the beech are starting to bud. Better for the growth to start a little bit late than to get zapped with a late frost....

macraignil

Lots of things are starting a bit later here in Cork than I have seen in other years. I think it has been a relatively cold spring.

Graces7

Stihl waters wrote: »

We were only talking about this last week myself and my mother who's an avid gardener, she put it down to cold weather too late into spring, it seems to have rebounded well in last couple of days

Yes she is right. Out here the wild fuchsia is barely in leaf. It is starting to catch u and I have some rosa rugose in opening bud.

mossym

ours just starting to pop now as well, over the years i've seen once it starts it doesn't take too long for it to fill in.