Robinia Pseudoacacia Frisia

Hi Cherylrp, Is it in a dry area? I have had one of these for about twenty years and it grows far too much. We have to lop it back every year There always seem to be some dead branches. Since it was so cold in April, ours is only just sprouting - about 8inches so far.In the end I don't think it will spoil the tree - they grow in a fairly irregular manner anyway.

We have 3 old ones in our garden about 40 ft high. They are not affected by cold winters because it gets much colder here than UK. They are very fast growing so I think yours will fill out quickly. They are always late to leaf up. Ours flower in May and the perfume is overwhelming. It could be that they prefer certain soil conditions. Around here it is very sandy and well drained. Obviously there are always a few dead branches. New saplings sometimes seem to lose their top branch especially after extreme heat, but I am talking about very young ones in their first year. I think your tree will improve in shape quite quickly as it grows.

We have 3 old ones in our garden about 40 ft high. They are not affected by cold winters because it gets much colder here than UK. They are very fast growing so I think yours will fill out quickly. They are always late to leaf up. Ours flower in May and the perfume is overwhelming. It could be that they prefer certain soil conditions. Around here it is very sandy and well drained. Obviously there are always a few dead branches. New saplings sometimes seem to lose their top branch especially after extreme heat, but I am talking about very young ones in their first year. I think your tree will improve in shape quite quickly as it grows.

I think it is to do with the rather odd seasons we have had lately , we have 2 near us and they have done the same, I cut off the dead bits(the one tree is now o post with leaves all done it very odd),there is not much else you can do.

Thanks for all your input. Last month we did have a frost and high winds coming from the North and it went below 0 which is unusual for Cornwall so that I am sure that was the culprit. But I just wanted to check. The flowers as you say Chris are a beautiful smell and it is a lovely tree, everyone admires the leaves and the changing colours. I have mine planted in a homemade wooden planter (extra extra large). Knowing it sends out suckers stopped me planting it out direct into the garden, also we have a large bricked area which I wanted a focal point for. Because of this I make sure it is well watered all year round. So again thanks everyone

Trees develop a leading shoot which grows upright and inhibits nearby buds from developing. With the loss of the top of your tree, you will probably find one of these inhibited buds breaking a forming a new leader - the tree's natural defence mechanism