Hi Deb,

I took a class in arboriculture about 15 years ago and I recall the teacher saying that when the trees have more stress, they produce brighter and more intense colors. So if there is a long dry spell or heavy rains or intense heat, etc... it should bring out more colors in the leaves in the fall. I should read at that site too, I love trees. I have certain favorites and have planted many of them in our yard. Some of them I had success with, others not as much because we used to have poor clay soil.