I've been playing a little game with myself for the past several months. It's called "Dead or Dormant" and it centers around the California Sycamore tree we planted in November 2011. We got the tree, a native of this area, to replace a giant pine tree that was felled by bark beetles. Dakota, having grown up in the Midwest where they have seasons, wanted to get a tree that would drop its leaves in the winter. So, we decided on a Sycamore, with it's pretty white bark, big broad leaves and deciduous nature.

This is how that tree looked in November of 2011.

Here it is almost exactly a year ago, in March 2012.

And this is how it looks now.

Hmmmmm. Something seems... different, doesn't it? You're probably wondering why I don't have a wide shot of the tree for you. That's because it's hard to get the camera to focus on a leafless stick. At the moment, there is not a single leaf growing on the whole tree. I'm finding that fact very distressing.

But I have not lost hope. The bark is still pretty and white, and there are those little bud-like things coming off the "branches." I feel like those buds might make some leaves any day now. Right? Right? Someone with knowledge of Sycamore tree growth should comment and reassure me, if you can do so in good faith.

I will say that I have given this tree intermittent waterings--not too many but not too few--over the last year. The trees and shrubs all around it are quite happy and healthy, and I have not let too much dirt collect around the base of the Sycamore's trunk. It should be fine. But I am getting worried.

I guess all I can really do is wait and watch. Wait and worry.

Dead or dormant?

Deciduous trees are stressful.

2 comments

1. HelenB on 3/12/2013 09:06:00 AM

   If this were my tree, I would use my thumbnail to make a small scuff in the bark. If the layer under the top gray is green, the plant is alive. If it's brown (and dry), the tree is dead.

    
2. Brent on 3/12/2013 11:01:00 AM

   I'm sure it's just fine. Looks like it will leaf out any day now.