Hi, I'm a bit confused - I planted a young plum tree last autumn and its
coming into leaf right now - but my other plum tree has just produced loads
of blossom - no leaves yet. My apple tree however is coming into leaf - no
blossom yet. Could it be that the plum tree I thought I purchased is in
fact an apple tree? could someone explain why some fruit trees produce
blossom first then leaves, or vice versa, or am I suffering blossom
blindness?!

jayjay

jay jay writes
Hi, I'm a bit confused - I planted a young plum tree last autumn and its
coming into leaf right now - but my other plum tree has just produced loads
of blossom - no leaves yet. My apple tree however is coming into leaf - no
blossom yet. Could it be that the plum tree I thought I purchased is in
fact an apple tree? could someone explain why some fruit trees produce
blossom first then leaves, or vice versa, or am I suffering blossom
blindness?!

The flowering time depends on a balance - early flowers show up better
because there are no leaves in the way, and the tree can get an earlier
start on developing fruit. Otoh early flower may be too early for there
to be pollinating insects around, or the flowers may be damaged by
frost. So it depends on the ancestry of the species - what part of the
world it developed in.

The plum you planted in the autumn may not want to flower in this first
year - may be too busy getting its roots down.

And plants seem to take a year or two to settle into their new
surroundings and get used to what time to do what - this is not a
scientific statement!
--
Kay

I would go along with Kay on this,
you could have a tree thats been mixed up - should be able to tell from
the leaves when they mature though.
The most likely explanation is that your young plum is just not old
enough to start flowering yet.
The time to maturity - when you can expect fruit, therefore flower
depends on rootstock
St Julian A - Semi vigourous
Pixy - Dwarf
Generally the more dwarfing the rootstock, the shorter lived the tree,
the sooner it comes into fruit

Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire