In my last email, I mentioned that a lot of bradford pears damaged by Hurricane Irene are reblooming now. Blooming out of season is a normal response of plants that have been stressed. This storm left behind an interesting phenomena - many of the affected trees are blooming only on the windward side. This is same side that they lost most of the their leaves on during the hurricane. The loss of leaves triggers a hormone response that promotes flowering. The tree shown above is a perfect example - this tree is in front of the public library in Richlands.
As long as these trees haven't lost large limbs, they will probably recover well over the longterm. You may see some decrease in bloom next spring if your tree is blooming this fall. I have also seen some cherry trees and azalea shrubs reblooming.
one of my magnolia's is blooming...it will be interesting to see if the other follows suit. And yes, it is on the windward side.
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