Has anyone else witnessed Fall rearing its ugly head a little too soon? Am I missing some sort of scientific explanation here? The change in foliage color is earlier than ever before (don’t make me pull out my spreadsheet to prove it).
Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’:
Viburnum plicatum:
Is it weather related? It has been a milder summer to date.
Is it moisture related? We’ve had plenty of rain this spring into summer.
Is it exposure related? The Itea are located in both full sun and partial shade and all look exactly the same.
I’m going with “premature autumnification” until proven otherwise. Now we just need to work on a medicinal cure and a Viagra-like advertising campaign:
“Don’t let ‘premature autumnification’ get you down, thousands of gardeners just like you are treating this with …”
Hahaha. “If you experience a summer lasting longer than four years, call a climatologist immediately”
Yes, definitely. I was going to ask you the other day if your hydrangeas were already showing that much fall color? I live around massive Oak trees (it’s great until one falls on your Saab in a freak derecho), and I’ve been noticing the acorns are dropping about two months too early. Waiting to see the first whooly bear caterpillar for confirmation of another nasty winter.
I have several plants doing weird things. At least weird as far as I am concerned. Maybe the most recent past winter has affected them. Yes my hydrandras are turning, even this early.
It’s been very cool this year and will likely be another early cold winter plus there has been very few sunspots and and a smaller than normal solar cycle peak so I’m thinking early fall too. That means only 2 more weeks of summer if NJ is already changing…sigh 🙂 (please note that I am not trained in any of that, lol)
Stephen – yes, I do have some fall color on my hydrangeas already. This is starting to make me ill a bit. I’m not ready to bail on summer yet!
jj – I’m beginning to believe it is all prior winter related as well, of course without an ounce of understanding why.
Kim – you are killing me! I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.
My Japanese maple thinks it’s fall too, and my Sweet Autumn Clematis appears to agree…
Kris – I am now convinced it is an epidemic and me no like.
I’m seeing fall color as well. My dogwood and cherry already have some red leaves.