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 ..."