I have a 25ft beautiful maple in my back yard. last fall it looked very healthy. So far this year, i still don't see any leaves. All the trees around the neighbourhood have leaves. I'm starting to freak out, thinking it may be dead. The branches do have buds but nothing green yet. I tried scraping the bark and we do see some green but it's not brillant. We broke open a bud and it appears green inside. Do you think it's dead or just late? Why wouldn't it be leafing out when everything else has?
Anyone in michigan or windsor area have a maple that is doing the same thing?
I would be devastated if it died. Over the last few years we have had to cut down two ash trees due to the ash borer. Last year we cut down a japanesse willow because it was getting out of control. This is the last tree in the backyard. I don't want to loose another.

I have no idea what to tell you but I have the same issue with 3 of my trees. I live in MI and this winter was incredibly hard (of course, I don't need to tell you that because you're in Canada.) I have 2 smaller trees that look dead but have only on one twiggy looking branch a few leaves. There is no buds on them either. The one I'm most worried about is our beautiful weeping cherry tree. It has all of it's leaves and only probably 25 blossoms came up this year. It usually has thousands.
Our japanese maple is doing fine though, it's just our trees that look flowery.
I was going to go and talk to the nursery people later this week. I'll let you know what they say.

I think if it has buds you should be OK. Our maple was about a month late (and we are in TX!) so I'm sure it's just hibernating still. I bet in a month it will be beautiful and leafy.

Some of my trees are still *lagging* in the bud stage too. It's actually quite strange because less then 1 mile from my street the trees are already *full leaf* stage.

My street is very wooded and doesn't get much sun so that could be the problem, but right on my own property I have oaks that ARE fully leafed and maples and elms that just have buds.

I guess I should mention I'm in the Northeast. I just think it's a fluke, and the buds and green branches under the bark are a good sign.

mkolmar I have a weeping cherry that has an *off* year every once in a while, this year it's very full of blossoms, but last year it was pretty sad looking. I fed it some flowering tree food all last summer, about once a month and that seemed to really help it.

Well, i hope you are all right. I live by a forested area and it seems everything has leaves right now. Even my red maple in the front, full leaves. That's why i find it so distressing.

Weird you all should talk of flowering trees. I have a wisteria vine and normally it would be full of blooms. I see nothing yet. Maybe it is the harsh winter this year.
I'll keep you all posted.

I'm in Southern California, and many of our trees were very late in getting leaves this year. My apricot and peach trees have just gotten leaves, and the ash and mulberry trees didn't get leaves until late April. That is extremely late. I'm thinking my fruit trees will be producing very late, if at all this year.

(My roses never went dormant, either.)

If there are buds, it's alive. Just try to be patient! I know in Canada we have such looong winters we're really eager to see green again, but it sounds like it's ok.

I have a young plum tree which took a year off - just nothing for an entire season. Then last year it was beautiful again. Very strange.

You have a maple tree that's late budding, I have an oak tree that won't drop it's leaves in the fall. Apparently that is a sign of a very healthy tree.


So nice to see colours again, isn't it? (meant for the Canadians)

The Tulip Fest. in Ottawa is so nice to walk around. Just wish it would be warm and the wind would die down.......

Yep, we had 23C on Sunday at our cabin - I got sunburned. Then woke up to 4 inches of snow on Monday (what a drag for a long weekend...)

I'm from England and thought I'd NEVER live anywhere where people talked about the weather more, but indeed it is so - there's just so much of it!!! I think those poor old plants get confused.

Still worrying and waiting. Nothing happening yet. I figured with the hot temps the last few days(86deg, 83degrees) it would've started doing something today. I gave it a little water today too. I swear i was outside talking to it today ."please pretty tree, wake up from your sleep". I know i'm going crazy. Thankfully no neighbours were outside to see me talking to it.

On a happy note..my wisteria vine is covered in leaves and two robins have made nests in it. One of which is right at eye level. If we are careful we can peak in and see the four blue eggs. in the one nest. The other is up really high. All we can see is the momma sitting on her nest. No blooms on the vine yet..that seems odd too.