I'm receiving conflicting opions on these 5 little trees I have recently purchased. Is this just a weed tree? I've been told it has a short life, any ideas what might be considered "short". They seems rather pretty when I bought them.
Some of the Acer family gets a bit of a bad rap. Some are labeled as wed trees or pavement killers and the like. Negundo is one that can have fast growth, surface roots, "weak" branching, but is otherwise a pretty tree in the eyes of some beholders.. My advice would be to keep it away from sidewalks and driveways, 8 to 10 feet is probably a reasonable distance. Make sure you get a good scaffold structure in the early years , no narrow crotches and codominant leaders if possible. Don't feed the tree unless it demands nutrients, fertilizer can promote excessive lush growth which isn't a great thing necessarily. If you want a smaller tree with similiar color (not so much pink though) you may consider Acer palmatum Orido Nishiki, Acer p. Butterfly or Acer p. Floating Clouds (speckled leaves).
Thankyou for your quick response. Can you tell me anything as to the lenght of life it might have. I have 5 of them and was considering putting them along a gravel driveway, no pavement or cement in the area.
I looked through a few books ( Dirr, Manual of Hardy Trees and Shrubs, Van Gelderen - Maples of the world) and neither refer to the lifespan of Acer negundo at all, Dirr does mention the fact that the parent species, Acer negundo (parent of Flamingo cultivar) is one of the best maples at surviving adverse conditions but can become weedy.
A weed tree? Perhaps, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if you like it, that should be enough reason to keep it. The species, Acer negundo, is commonly known as box elder or (in Manitoba), Manitoba maple. I grew up with it in my backyard, and it is tenacious! It's tough to kill, suckers if cut down, is hardy in Manitoba winters and produces many seedlings which germinate (and grow) in poor soil. I don't have any experience with it (or the cultivar 'Flamingo') in the Pacific maritime climate, though. The lifespan of the species in Manitoba, if I recall correctly, is roughly 30 to 40 years (which I suppose would be "short-lived" for many trees).
"but is otherwise a pretty tree in the eyes of some beholders.. " I agree, the beholder holds the true opinion.. :)
Thanks for your help. I am going to plant them this weekend along the driveway in very poor soil but with a goodly amount of water when the rains come back. They will be on a slopeing driving, with no standing water. Now... if I could just get someone to answer my query about collecting rhodo seeds. Again... thankyou !
Notwithstanding all of the excellent advice already doled out on this subject, one of the reasons that Acer negundo 'Flamingo' gets a bad rap is its propensity to "revert." Reversion describes "normal" growth arising alongside the "fancy" growth of a fancy plant. With 'Flamingo' and all other variegated (fancy-leafed) cultivars of A. negundo, the variegated tissue is a specific mutation known as a "sectorial chimera." In the apical meristem (picture a cap with vertical stripes all converging at the peak), lines of cells are either normal (green) or mutated (variegated). If a sector (say 10% of the vertical cell lines), is normal, and a branch eventually grows out of it, it will not carry the variegation. No big deal, except that the variegated branches are significantly less robust than the green, and the green will eventually take over the entire tree. If you don't believe this, look for mature variegated Acer negundo. They are exceptionally rare, despite rather brisk sales for the past 50 years or so. Obviously, timely pruning of the green sprouts is of the utmost importance. The sooner the green is removed the better behaved will be the tree. Inspect the plants thoroughly during the growing season. Rub out any buds that you think are too green and cut off any green shoots just above the branch collar (the thickened ridge at the base of the branch where it attaches to the parent branch). Do not cut into the collar as this will reduce the ability of the tree to heal the wound effectively. Good luck!
Acer negundo "flamingo": sun exposure & water needs Thanks to all for the valuable information already posted. I have 3 flamingo cultivars, planted in June in ok (not great soil) at the top of a small slope. Healthy at first, they've been regularly watered except for a stretch during our hot summer (they get full sun for much of the day). Now one is doing well, but the other two have a lot of brown crispy leaves and only a few more hydrated looking leaves. I've had a little reversion (nipped it early), and color is ok. I know variegation may take a while to cycle, but I'm more concerned with the overall health of the trees, and whether there's anything I can so short of moving them (ugh). I may be overwatering now out of guilt for the summer burn, too. Any thoughts on sun and water for this cultivar? Thanks much.
I have one of these little trees (the 'Flamingo' cultivar) which I have had for 20 years now. It was beautiful at first, but has now almost totally reverted to green, and has become leggy and unattractive I am not inclined to plant another one :(
I think based on the various posts that there is some confusion with this Maple. Flamingo itself has not been around in the nursery trade all that long yet but Tricolor has been around a long while. It is Tricolor that has a tendency to revert much more than Flamingo does. Also, Flamingo has a more defined pink coloration in the leaf than Tricolor has. Flamingo was introduced as being an improved version of Tricolor and it is. Flamingo can tolerate heat and hot winds a little better. Does not sucker nearly as much, is more tolerant of alkaline soils and holds its color and shape of the tree better when young. To call either one of these trees a weed tree makes me wonder who has been growing these trees or has anyone that called them a weed tree ever really grown them. I am completely dumbfounded by the weed tree designation for this Maple in some of our books (forms of Poplar, okay, I can go along with some forms but I do not think there will be many people calling a Quaking Aspen in the Fall or a nice shaped Chinese Tallow in the Fall, weed trees). There is a 35' tall with almost proportionate width round headed Tricolor just a mile from the misses home that none of you would not wish to have for yourself. Jim
