The ball trumpet tree, botanically 'Catalpa bignonioides', is created by refining a conventional trumpet tree. In contrast to this, the spherical trumpet tree has a naturally spherical crown, which can become quite wide with age. The large, heart-shaped leaves overlap and offer a very pretty sight - which you often have to wait a long time for in spring, because the ball trumpet tree does not bud until very late in the year.
When does the ball trumpet tree sprout?
The globe trumpet tree (Catalpa bignonioides) only sprouts late in the year, usually in May. In dry springs, budding can occur even later. To promote growth, the tree should be watered regularly and fertilized with mature compost.
Ball trumpet tree often only sprouts in May
Scoffers like to refer to the ball trumpet tree as a “civil servants tree”, after all it would come late and leave early. In fact, the smaller version of the trumpet tree does not sprout until May at the earliest, which - when everything in the garden is already green and blooming - can sometimes be quite frustrating. But Catalpa bignonioides loses its leaves earlier and is usually bare again before the first frost.
Water in spring when it is dry
If spring is very dry, budding can be delayed even further. To avoid this, you should water the globe trumpet tree regularly - after all, the tree needs a lot of water. Fertilization as needed can also stimulate sprouting. Mature compost (€41.00 at Amazon) is particularly suitable.
Blooming after a hard winter can take place even later
Although the globe trumpet tree is considered to be relatively frost-resistant even in our latitudes, very cold winters with low temperatures are very difficult for it. After this, the spring shoots may take longer than usual, and the leaves that appear may also be smaller. If your globe trumpet tree shows no signs of sprouting for an unusually long time, it makes sense to check the signs of life: many of these very temperature-sensitive trees did not survive the German winter. To do this, scrape the bark down in several areas of the tree - especially on its stronger branches and trunk - so that the living wood appears underneath. If the tree is frozen, the wood appears dried out.
Pruning the ball trumpet tree after heavy frost
After a long, harsh winter, pruning and rebuilding the crown is often advisable. The shoots in the crown are cut back heavily, although branches growing directly from the trunk must be completely removed - these are outgrowths from the grafting base.
Tip
If the tree needs to be trimmed - for example as a result of severe frost or storm damage - always do this above the grafting point.
