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Spindle Tree
marilyn megran
Posts: 4
I have three established Spindle trees, approximately 8 years old, although I get the very tiny white flowers in the spring as yet I have had no pink and orange seed heads in the autumn. The leaves do go a lovely red colour but the whole point of the trees are the seed heads. Does anyone have any ideas on why this is happening?
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I thought that was the case. I have not noticed any insects flying but I haven't really looked for them. I have 6 fruits on one of the smaller trees. They are in the sun, but not all day, although not sure this is the cause as I have noticed a spindle bush underneath some trees in our local village and it is covered in fruit! If I cut the big tree down and start again do you think this could be a solution?
Hi Marilyn, it's a lovely tree so it's a shame that you're not getting the fruits at this time of year. If, as pansyface says, it's a pollination issue, perhaps you could try introducing a good supply of suitable plants to attract insects in during spring. Even daffs are good for that. That may help, especially if no one round about you has much early planting either.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you for replying, I do have a lot of trees and shrubs in my garden, although next door's garden has hardly any, so I will have to try somehow to get more insects into my garden.
I like the fruits but for me the foliage is more important as it is visble at a distance and contrasts well with other autumn foliage with more golden tints.
As MM says you need to attract more pollinator insects to your garden so spring bulbs such as daffs and crocuses and flowers such as hellebores, wood anemones, forget-me-nots, pulmonarias and early flowering geraniums such as phaeum and macrorhizum are the way to go.
Yes thank you for that, but actually I do have most of those things in the garden, and quite near, but maybe I will give it another year before I do anything drastic.
Is anyone spraying pesticides near you? That may be having an unforeseen effect on your insect population.
I have several of the wild spindle berry, E. europaeus, some years I hardly any berries in spite of all the flowers about and apparently plentiful insects. Not the right ones at the right time I assume
In the sticks near Peterborough
Why don't I get any berries on my spindle tree although it's covered in flowers
Have you read the earlier part of this thread? we don't want to repeat what's already been said
Last edited: 25 May 2016 18:40:33
In the sticks near Peterborough