Does anyone know why????

[WVCoalMiner]

Tuesday is December 1st and I go outside today and notice that my Rhododendrons have begun BLOOMING??????

Must be getting an early jump on spring LOL

[CapnJack]

Some plants use a period of cold to trigger growth. After it has been cold a certain period, a warm period will trigger growth. Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are common examples.

Did you have cold weather- a week or two- followed by a warm spell?

We did in Nebraska- it was 60°F most of the weekend with some warm weather the past few weeks. but we had snow the end of September. The rhubarb plants sent up a couple of shoots.

[WVCoalMiner]

we had 1 day of cold (Friday after Thanksgiving) but been pretty warm in the 60's most other times

[Nicole]

My vote is because it still feels like winter here in the Southern hemisphere... so you must have stolen our summer, hence the flowers!

[CapnJack]

Well- so much for my theory! What I told you was correct, but apparently doesn't apply to rhododendrons.

I do know that each flower blooming now is a flower lost for spring- each of those buds is a flower, as you know very well because they are blooming now.

[Aegea]

OK, who will start a flame war by mentioning global warming?

[AndCity]

Perhaps it might be that living in your garden is so good!

[WVCoalMiner]

Coal Miner here and Global Warming is a myth....
Just like this one was Newsweek on the cooling world

[Aegea]

No, I'm afraid global warming is real, as your garden shows. I think the question is whether human activity (C02 emission) is the driver or whether it's a natural cycle.

To get back to photography, an even better question is when are you going to post a photo of the flowers?

[Quo Fan]

From what I understand, "They" say we are supposed to be heading into an ice age. "They" say that we are at the end of a 10,000 year cycle of warming and that we are supposed to be heading into a 10,000 year cooling cycle but all the greenhouse gassed that we have produced is throwing off the cycle.

This may or may not be my opinion, I'm just regurgitating what I've heard.