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garden_grammie

Later than normal leaf drop

garden_grammie
18 years ago

Is it just me, but aren't the leaves still hanging in there and greener than normal? Usually by now, I am going full force raking and trying to keep ahead of all the falling leaves. This year my trees are still holding on.

Comments (13)

  • mrsgalihad
    18 years ago

    I've been thinking the same thing. Usually I have at least started raking by now.

  • gazania_gw
    18 years ago

    It is the same here in western PA. We are about at "peak' color now in the maples, but still mostly green in others. Normally the leaves are all down by Halloween. That is not gonna be the case this year. It would be drop dead georgeous out there now if we would just get a little sunshine.

  • garden_grammie
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I wonder if the drought has anything to do with it.

  • cornstalk98_98
    18 years ago

    Hi grammie.....same thing here in the SE. But, around the corner from me a maple is in full color yet mine is still green. Can't figure out Mother Nature. We've had dry times and wet times so who knows? (the maple I speak of is the "little leaf" or "swamp maple"

  • jenny_in_se_pa
    18 years ago

    What's odd around here is that most of the oaks have either completely defoliated or the leaves that are left are brown and crisp and are in the process of dropping. The sycamores and london planes are also crisping up and dropping rather uncolorful leaves, many having already defoliated as well. However many of the maples are going full tilt green with only a few of the more well known colorful ones finally turning yellow and/or red (where the younger trees started first). The locusts are finally starting to turn yellow as well. Most of the rest of the trees including ones like ginkos, willows, and a myriad of ornamental fruit trees like cherries, etc., are completely green and growing. Even the infamous but soon-to-be extremely colorful Callery pears are dead green.

    I think this past week of lows in the 40s did help a bit to trigger some changes and I'm starting to see some color, but it's slow in coming - perhaps because the ground is still so warm after this summer. I expect we may peak over the next couple weeks.

  • clarysage1717
    18 years ago

    Same thing in the Harrisburg area. I think it's because we haven't had a real frost yet - I suspect the frost triggers the release of the leaves or something. I'm enjoying the beautiful color, whatever the reason for the late drop.

    katie

  • paveggie
    18 years ago

    Definitely late in central PA. Likely a combination of factors. I was reading that even the latness of Spring has an effect. The overall drop in temperatures w/o freezing over night coupled with the shorter days makes the normal change of colors. Central PA is usually at peak color about mid October, but many trees are still green this year. My theory is that it was so dry here for so long and then we have had several rains that the plants were rejuvenating or some such. Also, it was rather warmish overnights 'til just recently. (Frost not 'til the 29-30th.)

    The rain/snow event last Tues (25th) was a bummer in some areas here, and brought down a lot of branches from trees still in full leaf.

    About maples of different stages and colors: The varieties do vary in color and maturity. Sugar maples, for example, are the bright reds. Others turn yellow. A neighbor has two maples about 40 feet apart. One is in full color at the moment and starting to drop. The other is still grass-green but will turn yellow.

  • Pipersville_Carol
    18 years ago

    It's greener than usual in Bucks, too. The ashes yellowed and dropped early and the red maples and oaks are finally turning, but the willows, black cherries, and silver maples are still green. My sister in Indiana has noticed the same thing.

    I like a nice prolonged leaf season. Makes for a pretty commute.

  • katob Z6ish, NE Pa
    18 years ago

    It is a nice commute lately.
    My magnolia usually gets a little yellow before dropping the leaves. It's still totally green, but started dropping the leaves anyway. I think the last few nights of frost changed it's mind...... I don't get it, I was scraping ice of the windshield this morning but then was driving around this afternoon with the windows open for the breeze. It went up to 75 here.

  • geoforce
    18 years ago

    Here it is starting the second week of November, and I haven't seen a frost on my lawn and garden yet either. It seems about 2 weeks late.

    I can generally count on the first frost killing off all the leaves on my Paulownia tree (So darned sensitive to cold you can almost frost them by carrying a Sno-cone past it)but this year it hasn't lost a leaf. They drop within a few hours of frost, and then smell like rotten tennis shoes till I get so sick of the smell I put in extra time to rake them up and carry them WAY back behind the garden shed.

    George

  • Four_Seasons
    18 years ago

    Well, I had to go out of town on Wednesday and when I left the silver maples in the yard were FULL of leaves -- turning, but still there. When I got back on Sunday ALL of the trees had lost their leaves and I swear it looks like winter has hit along my road. Thank God everywhere else on my way to work still looks like a beautiful fall! I must live in a Zone 3 micro-climate! Yikes!

  • garden_grammie
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    What a beautiful display of colors this year!
    But alas they did start to drop fast and furious during that wind storm the other day. Many of the oaks and tulip trees are still holding tight,but I think by the end of next week the fall colors will just be a memory. Now, the aches and pains from raking may last a bit longer.(HA HA)

  • Mike Larkin
    18 years ago

    there are lots of factors to when leaves drop. This link is very helpful.

    Here is a link that might be useful: leaves drop

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