rdraper

I planted whitebeams about 10 years ago (2 groups of 3), and they have grown to about 15/20 feet. We live in the south of England in Wiltshire, renowned for its chalky soil. They always come into leaf and flower well, but as far as I remember they never berry. I thought this was because they were young, but I put in a new plant elsewhere in the garden three years ago and it is berrying already. This year has been even odder....the north and east sides of the trees have already lost their leaves (in August!) and have been curling up and going brown over the last month. It's true it has been an odd year climatically and generally everything is a month ahead of normal. But these trees are not right. They are grown standing on their own in lawn, although there is a cleared patch of earth below them (the grass never grew anyway). At this time of year they should be fully leaved and have tons of berries. Any ideas, anyone? Cheers!