We are redoing an area of our garden where we will have space for 3-5 nice specimen small trees. We are particularly fond of japanese maples and also interested in getting some spectacular fall colour. Could anyone suggest some superb japanese maple cultivars for fall colour,as well as good spring and summer leaf colour and interest. We're looking for some all around superb specimens. Thanks, Gary Lewis
Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' The following Acer grown in the UBC BG is drawn to our attention by Judy Newton in the latest issue of "Davidsonia" as arguably the most perfect Japanese maple: Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' - "bearing beautifully-shaped leaves of pure scarlet" --------- Also mentioned: Acer tschonoskii - leaves turn "pumpkin-colour" in autumn Acer mandschuricum - golden trifoliate leaves
Japanese Maple say, fertilizer no-so-goood.. And if you haven't heard, fertilizer (the generous Nitrogen kind) is the fastest way to destroy the shape of a Japanese Maple. I only fertilize trees to get them away from children and dogs. So far in Beaverton / Portland, this is my tree care background for pruning and observing: 7 golf courses. University of Portland. Oregon Health Sciences University. 2000 pruning contracts at over 600 residential locations. A yearly walking tour of about 3000 homes in Beaverton from about 1996 to 2001. Based off that, the consistent results is that the best Japanese Maples, after growing for a while, were the ones that were not fertilized. The ones that were fertilized were healthier to the point of more vigorous growth, bigger leaves, and longer branches. Thus this group received the greatest degree of disfiguration and damage from wind, snow and the weight of rain water. After an extended period of time, the trees with the most beautiful branching, and the least damage, were the unfertilized trees - or hardly fertilized ( enough to eradicate visual signs of nutrient deficiency).
I think the best fall color is on A. japonicum 'Aconitifolium' I also love the colors on A. palmatum 'Osakazuki' and A.p. 'Julian' If you visit a maple nursery in the spring when the new leaves emerge or in the fall when they turn color, you will never be able to limit your choices to only three.
personal favorites: Shideshojo, floating clouds, butterfly, orido nishiki, shiraswanum aurea, shishigashira and for good old deep purple/red - Trompenburg.
This is my acontifolium in autumn colour this past season http://www.btinternet.com/~fujiyamagarden/pics/acontifolium02.jpg
acer japonicum aconitifolium I'm so glad I found this thread! I am looking for an acer japonicum aconitifolium for my garden in Portland Oregon. Does anyone have any suggestions for nurserys, planting tips, etc?
hey gary it may sound dumb but what area do you live in. and what are the soil conditions what hight are you looking for, or spread without knowing where you are it does not help much.
Nurseries for Japanese Maples another request for good nurseries received via email: I'm looking for nurseries that specialize in japanese maples.
I visited Maplewood Nursery at a specific time of the year many years ago just so I could see how those plants there would differ in Fall color as opposed to what our Maples normally look like here. There are so many variables that come into play, not withstanding, the chemical interaction that produces the ability of one Maple to turn certain colors and another Maple to turn other colors in the Fall. Temperature variation but more importantly temperature reduction in the Early Fall plays its own role in regards to which plants will turn their Fall colors and which plants will not. The fourth year I had my cutting grown Naruto kaede originally from Koto Matsubara in the ground (now 20' tall) we had a bona fide Fall whereby the cooler night temps started in the third week of September for us. The plants Fall color yielded a glowing Salmon pink coloration and was spectacular to say the least. That is the only time I've seen that coloration throughout the entire plant. I see the same Salmon pinks just in the top of the tree every now and then but no where else now especially considering the "Indian Summers" we are so used to having instead of a Fall season. One of my most favorites for Fall color is my 12' tall Beni komachi which turns an even shade of Crimson and with the right conditions almost seems to be flourescent in the early evening in the Fall. Osakazuki, Ichigyoji and Hogyoku seldom perform their Fall color magic for us as we are a little too warm where we are. Climate is quite important in whether you will see good Fall color or not, much more so in my mind than the plants that are noted for their reliable Fall color in many areas. Aconitifolium Maiku jaku turns scarlet, orange and has some splashes of purples for us but Aconitifolium from Japan, which is not the same plant as Maiku jaku turns much more vivid with glowing interspersed purples and with less orange coloration than Maiku jaku. I've seen leaves as rich in purple as any purple skinned Plum from the Japanese form of Aconitifolium. The original Osakazuki imports from Japan back in the early 60's to Don Kleim were Acer Japonicums. Their Fall color can turn the most vibrant scarlet of all of the Full Moon series that I've seen. In the right locations in the Pacific Northwest nothing could touch them for sheer brilliance of Fall color but the hard part now is where to get your hands on the true Japanese form of Osakazuki? For another Trident Maple, Nusitoriyama is the most dependable Fall color producer for us no matter, it seems, how warm or cool we are in the Fall. All of the Shirasawanums do well in most areas except for us in the San Joaquin Valley. We tend to see more golds with some red splashing but the colors do not hold long for us. We are in a location whereby we do not see strong Fall colors anyway. We do see better Spring colors than many areas do so I guess there is a trade off in that respect. Jim
In Oregon or Southern Washington, this site helps locate from professional nursery stock. Enter your tree or plant and it lists who has what and where. http://www.nurseryguide.com If anybody knows of other sites like this for Washington or B.C. - I'd like to know to pass the info along to other gardeners and arborists.
kasagi yama, purple ghost, shidava gold, palmatifolium, orange dream, red dragon, flavescens, peaches and cream I love all these....
BayMaples,,,,This is my first Post,,,I want to thank you for your info When I'm more comfortable posting,,and can come up with good Questions I'll write more,,,I have been Grafting Fruit trees for 40 years,,somes good some years not so good,,,two years ago I tried to graft 9 Japanese Lace Leaf maples to 9 different branches of four trees growing the ground,,,all died or never even started,(used fruit tree method) 2007 I grafted 9 trees in 1 gallon pots and 8 grafts on trees in ground 6 grafts on pots started and three grafts on trees started,,,at the end of fall only 2 grafts lived (this spring those two grafts have leafed out and are looking good) I grafted 16 two year old maple trees and 6 branches of tree in ground,,,I have 8 pot trees that look like they are growing,,,and 4 branches the same..in the yard I have 33 two year old maple trees and 25 seedlings in 1 gallon pots that are looking good,,,Gene in sacramento
Welcome! Don't wait for good questions - never stopped me :) Seriously, it sounds like you have a lot more experience than me here and folks have been very nice answering my beginner questions, so... ask and post away!
Gary -- There are so many varieties of Japanese maples that would meet your requirements that it is hard to recommend. I would suggest going to the library and checking out a copy of the Vertrees book Japanese Maples, and then look through the photos to see if any particular varieties catch your eye. Alternatively, visit all of your local nurseries -- once their maples have leafed out -- and see what appeals to you. A lot depends on your location as well. Is it sunny, part shade, afternoon or morning sun? How big can the trees get? Some JMs get very tall (over 25'). Others are dwarf in stature, but can spread out very wide.
If someone ask me to install an Acer Palmatum I would have to do a site survey. Sometimes the site is just not right for a very showy tree. One thing to keep in mind is the fact that these are understroy trees, they need protection from afternoon sun and they don't do well in poorly drained soil. Then again there are no absolutes, if your site has not been destroyed by a building contractor you may find a nice tree. We don't do Japanese Maples because they are easy, the best advice comes from Vaden, Shep and dawgie, but as to very tall trees you need to be very young to see it happen. Forest Farm has a great catalog, I would ask for one and then go to the library. PS : Look for a nice clean graft on your trees, and not a tree on a stick, as I see around here, and avoid Cousin It. Good Luck
