Bud swell: the window before growth explodes

Bud swell is the last quiet moment before the season takes over. Buds thicken and colour before they open, and this narrow window — days, not weeks — is when structural wiring on deciduous trees does the least damage, since the bark is still tight and the tree has not yet committed sap to new growth. It is also the last realistic moment for a hard prune before the wound has to heal through a full season of growth rather than around it. Once the first leaf tips show green, the window has closed for another year.