Are these trees dead or just resting?

Mr Mustard took a walk down the lower end of Chipping Barnet High St this afternoon, the part south of the church and next to the college. It is opposite the police station. Enough geography he thinks.

Outside QE girls school the new trees are doing fine as can be seen by the growth of new foliage (the tree in the back of the picture is older, just concentrate on the two inside the tree guards)

and then cross the road and go north a bit and you are outside the Barnet College art building

Now Mr Mustard has already said that trees in the middle of the pavement is less than helpful for the blind but look at the tree which has absolutely no foliage. He is not sure if the tree is dead or just resting and waiting to burst into life. The funny thing is there are 6 trees in a row like this, all without foliage and all on the shaded western side of the street. Up at the Hadley end of Chipping Barnet trees on the western side of the street are fine. These ones might make a late claim to life but they are looking a little precarious at the moment and they cost over £1,000 each. Have they simply been planted in an environment which is too shaded for them or is there something in the soil below this pavement which they don't like?

Would the residents of Chipping/High Barnet who walk past these trees regularly, maybe on your way to/from work, please keep an eye on these six trees and let Mr Mustard know when you spot a new leaf by emailing him on mrmustard@zoho.com Do you suppose they came with any sort of guarantee?

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard