Sorbus Olympic Flame
We planted a beautiful Sorbus Olympic Flame a couple of weeks ago. I know this is a deciduous tree and it had beautiful copper leaves all the way up. ( We planted it in honour of our lovely old boy Copper - you'll see him in my profile pic - we sadly had to say goodnight to him mid October and chose this tree in honour of him for the copper leaves to shine bright at this time next year. ) The tree has now lost all its leaves and is a mere stick! Its sounds daft because of course it is deciduous! but will it look like this every year. There were no branches when we bought it from Wyevale. We also bought it for its upright habit but i guess next year it will sprout upright branches? and then just lose the leaves from these? Apologies if my question sounds odd! I guess I'm hoping anyone who has this tree too will be able to help.. Many thanks X
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It'll grow branches and then it'll look like a bundle of sticks instead of just the one stick ... eventually it'll look more like a tree without leaves
Last edited: 08 November 2017 18:41:36
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It sounds as if you have bought a whip...a very young tree.
The longer a nursery keeps a tree and the more branches it gets the dearer it becomes.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/97/94/84/979484b4d47df61632db94cae1cfc458--house-gardens-garden-trees.jpg
To get a tree with nice shape and many branches you would need to pay near £60.00...by then it could be 3 -5 years old
https://www.primrose.co.uk/-p-112330.html?adtype=pla&kwd=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkJbW2tSv1wIVoxbTCh1n1Aw9EAQYAiABEgLQQPD_BwE
Olympic flame is a super one for autumn colour.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sorbus+olympic+flame&rlz=1C1GNAM_en-GBGB687GB687&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi75KSo1a_XAhVFGsAKHdvnDRUQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=759
Thank you both for your replies. I paid £50 from Wyevale for it. It stands around 6.5 foot. Admittedly it was just lovely coppery leaves all the way up - no branches. They have all dropped now - hence the bamboo stick effect!
That is a lot of money for a for a whip.
It should have looked like this one which has several side branches...see 3rd image on page.
https://www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk/shop/sorbus-olympic-flame-0850039247/
Last edited: 08 November 2017 20:07:13
hi silver surfer it did look quite like pic 3.
That pic was the day we brought it home. It has been planted around 18-24 inches from that fence. All leaves have fallen now.
What are you looking for exactly? Or what do you want to do? I'm a bit confused. You have a small tree that's alive and well. You bought and planted it. It will gradually grow bigger in time.
Be patient. Give it time and love and it will grow. Keep the soil around its base weeded to reduce competition for nutrients and rain and give it a mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure. Use bought multi-purpose compost if you have none of your own or a bag of manure which you can also buy at garden centres.
Next spring, give it a generous handful of pelleted chicken manure lightly forked in around the roots and another mulch. Enjoy the new foliage as it opens and the blossom. Lovely tree.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Thanks for your helpful advice as always Obelixx. I have homemade compost so will use that next spring and follow your advice with regards the pelleted chicken manure. X
Glasgowdan - I guess I was just looking for some reassurance that next year it will have bear branches in addition to a bear stem as currently there are not even bear branches. The leaves have all dropped off pretty quickly and it resembles a bamboo stick. I don't have a lot of experience with trees.