Evergreen Trees Shed, Too

Often a surprize to unprepared gardeners.

Leaf-drop is part of the natural life process of trees... including evergreens. Misunderstanding the term "evergreen" is at the root of the concern. Enjoy raking the leaves from your evergreen trees.

The yellowing of magnolia leaves and the unexpected shedding of live oak leaves and other evergreens during February and March may cause you some unnecessary concern. You may think your trees are dying, but that probably is not what is happening.

Not an uncommon event…

While many native trees drop all their leaves in the fall or winter, some evergreens, such as the magnolia, shed their leaves all year-round. Trees, like the live oak, will drop their leaves at different rates in different years depending on the severity of the winter.

It is important to remember that all evergreens lose some of their leaves each year. Sometimes, they lose all or at least half of their leaves every year.

A natural process…

Leaf-drop is part of the natural life process of trees... including evergreens. Misunderstanding the term "evergreen" is at the root of the concern. Enjoy raking the leaves from your evergreen trees.

For more information on the shedding of evergreen trees contact your local County Extension Office.