Newly planted Forsythia has a few leaves turning lightly purple

11 years ago

Is that normal for Sept 1st?

There are a lot of trees around here turning color. The neighbor across the street's maples are turning red already.

The light purple is really very pretty, and the bush appears to be healthy, no brown leaves or anything, and the leaves are really soft. It actually put out a few new leaves since it was planted last week, but that was before the purple showed up.

Could this early purple color be transplant shock?

Just so you know, Im not wigged out over this, I'm just trying to figure out if fall color can happen this soon on a bush. It seems really early to me. Although our temps were down in the 40's overnight last week....

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Comments (4)

akamainegrower
11 years ago
Purple is the normal fall color change for many forsythia varieties. September 1 seems a bit early, but it looks to be consistent with other plantings in your area.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
nothing is EARLY.. for an august transplant ...

do NOT worry about this weed ... curiosity.. and knowledge are power.. just DONT WORRY ...

have you tried rooting a piece yet???

you should link to the other post.. so peeps can recall said discussion ...

ken

ps: can i bet a shiney penny.. its internal leaves.. ??? such are often sacrificed.. in stress ... to 'save' buds ...
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ilovemytrees
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Ken! It's leaves all over the bush. They are only just starting to turn a hint of purple. I posted in the tree forum how a local arborist has said the early color change (of trees in general in our area) is due to our drought.

I'm not going to try and root a piece this year, maybe next year though. Thanks everyone for responding!
viburnumvalley
11 years ago
Turning purple is normal behavior for Forsythia plants, whether due to summer heat stress or preparation for fall dormancy. Not to worry. Keep the roots moist so that the plant settles in with new strong roots before winter, and anticipate fabulous performance next year.