The picture on the left is a close-up of the maple at the end of my driveway, the one on the right is a platanoides drummondii. Everyone on my street has the same tree, only theirs are more mature (my neighbour's and mine were replaced a few years back). The problem is that up until this spring, all of our leaves were solid green. Suddenly, they look like this. The more mature trees are half dark & half variegated-looking. One down the road is fully variegated. When the leaves first came in, they were a bright green (like the centre part), and then changed into this colour, and have remained this way since. I have not witnessed this on any other streets nearby, but most have red maples, and other types of trees. I have been searching for answers, and only find cases of trees reverting back to solid leaves, and not vice-versa... I just want to make sure it isn't some kind of disease, or malnutrition, as I would want to try to save it. Thanks in advance.
I think it looks cool. I would just go with it and dare to be different. The tree looks healthy to me.
One thing is sure, if you don't prune out the solid green part of the drummondii in pic 2, it will soon be all solid green. That goes for all your neighbors plants also, "half dark and half variegated looking" means half reverted. I've heard of drummondiis that are quite green one year and then come back with variegation the next, apparently something like that has happened with yours. Perhaps if the drummondii variegation is due to a virus (not sure) yours has caught it again from some of the other trees. Doesn't seem very likely, but. I don't know of any treatment, if you want a plain tree you may have no choice but to yank it and plant a different cultivar (or even better, species!) -E
JT1, I definitely want to keep it. I think it looks cool too. Just didn't want the city to have to replace yet another tree... I already feel like I'm living in a new neighbourhood since my tree is so young. :( Emery, it isn't a matter of the trees being green one year, and then variegated the next... I have lived here for over 5 years, and have never seen the trees look this way. I am always home too, so I would notice these things. :-) The next door neighbour was just as surprised and she's been here 14 years! I did speak with the guy who delivers our paper, and he said they do this every spring, and that they have just stayed longer because they are confused from the cold temps... like I said, though, I have *never* seen them looking like this, not even for one day. Also, our trees started out green, with a few branches of variegated leaves, and now there are more variegated than green. Weird! Is there anything I can do to make the tree grow faster/be healthier? I noticed one of its branches has no leaves at all.
Unstable clones of 'Drummondii' prevail here, losing the variegation completely is the prevailing outcome. I know of few local specimens of any size that have remained constant.
As Ron says, they're very unstable. I did understand that yours seems to have gone from green to variegated. Some observe that the variegation is essentially missing some years.I have 2, it's a battle to keep them looking good. Beyond that I'm not sure what to recommend, just leave it to do what it wants, and if you want it variegated cut out the green parts (that stay green).
