Hey Niagara 👋

This week’s question comes up every spring:

“Why isn’t my tree leafing out yet!?”

We get phone call concerning this one. Every... Single... Spring lol

Tree down the street is full… yours still looks bare… and it starts to feel like something’s wrong.

Most of the time — it’s not.

Not all trees “wake up” at the same time

When we say trees are “waking up,” what we really mean is they’re coming out of dormancy.

Dormancy is basically the tree’s version of winter shutdown.
Growth slows right down, everything conserves energy, and the tree waits for the right conditions to start pushing growth again.

Different species come out of that state at different times.

Around here:

• Maples are usually early
• Oaks take a bit longer
• Locust and walnut are often some of the last

So if your tree is behind your neighbour’s, that alone doesn’t mean much.

Quick note on conifers

Most conifers still go dormant — they just don’t lose their needles.

That’s why they stay green all winter.

The exception is deciduous conifers like:

• Larch
• Dawn redwood
• Tamarack

Those will actually drop their needles and look bare like other trees.

Temperature is what really drives it

Trees don’t go by the calendar — they go by temperature.

In general, you’re looking for a stretch of a few consistent days (around 10°C or warmer) before trees really start “waking up.”

But here’s the catch:

If we get a cold snap after that — which we almost always do — it can slow or pause that process.

So things don’t always move in a straight line.

What you should be looking for

Before a tree fills in, there are usually signs it’s getting going.

Things like:

• Buds swelling
• Small leaves starting
• Uneven growth at first

One of the more obvious ones around here is Silver Maple.

They get those big, almost “popcorn-looking” buds with a lighter red tint — pretty easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for.

When it might actually be a concern

If your tree is:

• Still completely bare while others of the same species are full
• Only leafing out on a few branches
• Showing dead tips or brittle ends

Then it’s worth taking a closer look.

That could point to:

• Winter damage
• Stress from last season
• Or sections of the tree not making it through

What we see every spring in Niagara

Every year it’s the same pattern.

Trees start to leaf out… everything looks like it’s finally turning the corner…

Then old man winter comes back for “2nd winter” 😅

Cold snap hits, and everything just stalls out.

Leaf development slows down or pauses, and suddenly trees look behind again.

That’s normal here.

If you’re unsure, feel free to describe what you’re seeing or throw up a photo.

Usually it’s pretty easy to tell if it’s just timing… or something else.

Next week we’ll be covering:

Week 10 — “Is my tree dead or just dormant?”

And if there’s something you want us to cover, just say it — these have all come from real questions so far.

— Driftwood Tree Service 🌲