The Liquidamber trees on the property are behaving strangely. Or are they ? A beautiful tree from the eastern United States Liquidamber are famed for brilliant autumn colour. We are now getting very red leaves - but it seems very early. It's still summer here and HOT.
February in our southern hemisphere summer is theoretically the same as August in the northern hemisphere. Is that what happens to them in their homeland. I really don't know and maybe someone can tell me?
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| February 18th 2012. Autumn Colour in February. |
It's not just this year, and maybe it has always happened. Maybe I just noticed.This is the progress last year.
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| Red very early. But I still like those beautiful leaf shapes. |
One thing that occurs to me is that the soil is too acid. So I have just got a test kit. We shall see. It's also very dry here this summer, and only about 300 mm a year, but we do have a computerised irrigation system to every tree. Days have been 20 to 30 Degrees centigrade. (86 to 68 Fahrenheit) and warm at nights. With no cold snap.
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| Scarlet Oak. Starting red as well. |
There are also about 60 scarlet oak planted, which have the same early autumnal signs, although much less intense and early. Look at this link of the progress in 2011.
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| We like colour around here. Gleditsia between |
Anybody who lives where these trees are native might care to tell me how early they expect the Autumn colour to first show. Is it really August ?? Comments below please.