Various trees have a high proportion of withered/blackened leaves

this problem is relatively new to me this year - a young orchard with a mix of pear, apple, plum and others - maybe 3 plum, 5 pear and 10+ various apple trees. I don't tend them particularly intensively and the pear in particular were just some little ornamental patio things I got from b&q 7 or so years ago so I wasn't expecting them to turn into 3metre+ monsters but they've done well in previous years.

This year, after the first period of dry and days of insane wind (north west UK, on an exposed hill) I noticed the pear trees in the group of 4 were looking particularly sad, with a lot of leaves that were partly, mostly or completely withered to a black shadow of their former self, very crispy and break on being squeezed. Another pear a bit further from the group seems more mildly affected as well as some of the apples exhibiting a similar "attacked/dry/brown" appearance to a proportion of leaves. Other wild trees in the garden are suffering similarly; ash and elders(I think). My new rows of shrub planting (a mix of species intended to support wild birds through the year) is having mixed results, and many were doing great before the dry spell (waiting to get some time to install the drip irrigation/soaker hose so it's been occasional showering with the hose) but now look a bit worse for wear (hope that's just drying and wind). The apple trees that are sheltered/being trained against the grey pebble dash seem to be doing well



Pear and closeup



Elder?


Shrub


Ash


Something sylvestris


Apple

 

Apple again - they're fruiting as are the pears but maybe not in as high numbers as last year


Elder again I think


The apples trained against a northnorthwest southsoutheast running wall (gets morning and early afternoon sun) seem doing well

I'm hoping that it's exposure/wind/dry, given the variety of plants that seem similarly affected but if there is something I should be treating them with I'd love to hear.

 

It was caused by the very cold, frosty temperatures with a strong wind early morning on Tuesday 12th May. Loads of trees around here got their new, tender leaves blackened or browned, also hit Bramble tips and various plants

 

Agree totally. Here there is a tall elderberry by the door and where it sticks up above the wall of the old stable opposite, it is gale blackened in a straight line. And the same phenomenon along the rose hedging etc.