Question
After buying or transplanting large, 4-6" caliper, balled and burlapped Tabebuia trees from a nursery in South Florida, zone 10A-11, we have always stripped the leaves at time of planting on the 'caraiba', yellow variety to speed up the process of transplant shock.  Usually the tree drops leaves after 30 days anyways, this speeds up the process so it flushes back out faster.  What is your opinion should we do the same with the 'IPE' or Pink or Purple variety?  or is this unnecessary?

Answer
I do not really think it is necessary to strip the leaves off the tree when it is planted. The planting shock can be lessened by proper handling and planting of the tree. I would not recommend stripping green leaves of the tree.  The pink is a deciduous tree meaning it drops its leaves in the winter. So the best time to plant these would be after leaf drop and before the spring.