The trumpet tree (Catalpa bignonioides) becomes an imposing appearance as it grows: On the sprawling crown, which is several meters wide, there are heart-shaped leaves up to 20 centimeters long, which are found in conjunction with the orchid-like ones, especially during the flowering period Flowers form a fascinating connection. However, you will need a lot of patience before you can enjoy this view. The trumpet tree naturally only sprouts very late in the year.
When does the trumpet tree sprout?
The trumpet tree (Catalpa bignonioides) naturally sprouts late in the year, often not until April or even mid-May. To encourage foliage to sprout, you can use nitrogen-rich fertilizers or compost in early spring and apply frost protection if necessary.
Trumpet tree is also jokingly called “official tree”
While everything in the garden is already green and blooming and the gardener is enjoying the growing splendor of spring, the trumpet tree is still standing bare in winter. Many a time, the Catalpa, often called the “official tree” because of its very late budding, was declared to have frozen to death during the cold season. However, you can rest assured if your trumpet tree doesn't have any leaves in April, or even early to mid-May: that's completely normal, they're still growing! However, the deciduous deciduous tree, which originally comes from the southeast of the USA, sheds its leaves comparatively early - as officials say: Comes late and leaves early.
Promote leaf growth through targeted fertilization
However, you can help the leaves sprout by using targeted fertilization. In particular, fertilization with nitrogen-based fertilizers in early spring not only promotes growth, but also the development of the leaves. However, too much nitrogen can also lead to later flowering suffering or even failure altogether. Instead, you can also pamper Catalpa with a good portion of compost, which is distributed in the area of the tree disc in March / April and carefully incorporated. But be careful: The roots of the trumpet tree are mostly located close to the surface of the earth!
Protect the crown from late frost in spring
In our latitudes, frost that occurs late in spring, especially at night, can be problematic not only for the flower buds, but also for the leaf shoots. With a little bit of bad luck, the systems will freeze away in the early spring months, so frost protection appears necessary. To do this, you can cover the crown of the tree with a frost protection film (€49.00 on Amazon) or a gardener's fleece and thus protect the buds from freezing.
Tip
You should be particularly careful with young trumpet trees, as they are much more sensitive to frosty temperatures than older specimens.