Content
- The most beautiful trees that do not lose leaves
- Why deciduous trees throw off their leaves in autumn - and conifers not
- Which trees do not lose leaves?
- Evergreen trees
- Semi-evergreen plants
- Wintergreen trees
- Tips
The hornbeam throws its leaves only in the spring
The most beautiful trees that do not lose leaves
Every child knows that in autumn the leaves turn colorful and fall off. In winter, the trees are bare, to drive out again in the spring. Only conifers remain green even in winter. However, there are even more trees that do not lose leaves - they are an important style element in garden design.
Why deciduous trees throw off their leaves in autumn - and conifers not
If deciduous trees were to retain their large and thin leaves over the winter, they would freeze to frost. The delicate foliage has no protection against frost, but must be supplied by the tree with water and nutrients. Basically, the autumn leaves fall thus the protection of the tree: If he keeps his leaves, he could neither nourish nor protect from the cold and would therefore inevitably be damaged. Instead, it pulls the nutrients out of the leaves - that's why the foliage changes color - and then discards them.Coniferous trees, on the other hand, have developed a different strategy: their leaves, the needles, are very small and also surrounded by a protective layer of wax. Therefore, they can not freeze in winter and stay on the tree.
Which trees do not lose leaves?
Most conifers, with the exception of the European larch, are therefore evergreen. In addition, there are evergreen deciduous trees, which you recognize by their very small, thick leaves. A typical example is, for example, the boxwood. However, there are other variants in which trees keep their leaves in winter.
Evergreen trees
Evergreen trees keep their leaves throughout the year and only change overgrown foliage. Depending on the tree species, the leaves remain between three and ten years on the tree. In addition to the conifers there are few evergreen deciduous trees, which, however, do not belong to the trees. Periwinkles are for example:
Semi-evergreen plants
Semi-evergreens are trees that remain green in mild winters and shed their leaves only in very frosty temperatures. This group includes, for example, the akebia (Akebia quinata, also climbing cucumber) and the oval-leaved privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium). Even these species are not trees, but a climbing and a hedge plant.
Wintergreen trees
Wintergreen plants, on the other hand, retain their foliage (often withered from autumn and therefore brown) and only throw it out in the spring with the new leaf shoots. This group includes some native deciduous trees such as hornbeam, oak or European beech.
Tips
Although bamboo can grow up to several meters and is often used for hedge plantations, botanically it counts as grasses and not as woody plants.