Confusing
Posted by Keri Bartow on April 24, 2006
Q: How does a tree grow new leaves if the old ones have not fallen off? I live in Eugene, Oregon, and the climate here is moderate-and not all the trees lose their leave in winter....so how do new ones form?
A: Although evergreen trees (pines, spruce, fir, rododendrons, hollys etc) do retain some of their leaves from one year to the next, they also have buds each fall for the next year's growth. These trees produce new leaves and new growth each year but the older leaves, these may be one or two or sometimes even older, stay on the plant for a longer time. If you look at your local pines, you should be able to see the buds on the branch tips that will sprout new growth this spring. Granted, the buds may be really small right now, but soon will begin to swell and then burst into the new growth. Hope this answers your quesiton. Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( April 24, 2006)