I live in Louisiana, zone 8b. I am looking for a japanese maple that is heat tolerant for our hot, humid summers. I am looking for both a tree type and a bush type. Any suggestions? I have been trying to weed through information on the internet, and I have not yet found the details I need. Thank you! Brandy
I'm just N of Dallas and am having luck with Seiryu in full sun. In partly shaded areas Viridis Waterfall, Inaba Shidare, and Orangeola are doing well. Butterfly is not doing well at all and is an incredibley slow grower.
Glowing Embers, an upright green AP, is one that is reportedly good in the south. Another one you might try is Tennyo-no-hoshi, a variegated upright AP.
I keep Osakisuki , Shin Desojo , Glowing Embers,(in the ground,not in pots) in full sun have had no problems here in N Fl, Gulf Coast. I do keep close watch and water the leaves in the summer, along with heavy mulch. I'M finding Carles Corners , and Beni Hime seem to require a lot of sun to show their red color land should do well in the sun. I only keep these trees in the full all day sun in a have to situation. I believe all maples do better with afternoon shade here in the deep south. Luck with your trees Dave.
I'm assuming you dont actually water the leaves during the day, as that would be the quickest way to scortch a mapel.
On the other hand... http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda Chalker-Scott/Horticultural Myths_files/Myths/Leaf scorch.pdf
Hey Ron and Oscar. Yep , I try to water in the morning or late afternoon . I never intentionally water leaves in the heat of the day. I have heard the arguements against this ( I wonder if they ever watered anything in the deep South ? ) , Yet I believe I have unintentionly watered leaves in the past and later found leaf fade or burn. On the other hand I know nurseries who water all day every day. So I don't have the answer . So I water leaves in the morning and late afternoon. Best to all Dave.
we used to water the nursery during the day, if the plants needed it, then they got watered, however by late July the plants all started to look a little tired, many with leaf spots ( whether that was to do with the watering in the mid day sun or not is a matter of conjecture) so early this year i invested the money in total automated irrigation. Two Galcon computers run all the trickle lines and three miracle computers run all the other systems. Its been worth every penny, the systems all run through the night, and i can honestly say i have noticed a significant improvement in the quality of the plants. I will try a few experiments next summer (is it wrong to deliberatly try to scortch a mapel) anyway its gone way off topic here.......sorry i cant help with the which mapel to grow in zone 8b. oscar
I live around lafayette and have close to 40 cultivars. All of them have at least afternoon shade and many are in whiskey barrel halves in the shade of fullgrown magnolias. However these are tender specimens like toyama nishiki, baby lace etc. The rest do fine with afternoon shade, although most of mine have noon day shade as well. I think you may have more problems with drainage, hard water and clay heavy soils. These are the problems that I have worry over more than heat. I always plant them in a raised bed of at leat six inches, depending on the area's drainage. This also helps me with the heavy clay as it allows the maple to grow down and across the topsoil not reaching the clay till it has a large root system already. However you will have to keep them watered more until they get established as they will dry out faster. The best way to water is with rainwater or during our summer droughts tap water treat with vinegar and left to cure overnight. One tablespoon per 5 gallons, some people use more. Finally, mulch, mulch, mulch, keep the trunk clear, and stay away from fertilizers. My recommend list for the area: Boskoop glory, bloodgood, sango kaku, tamuke yama, inaba shidare, ltaly red, red dragon, emperor 1, glowing embers, garnet, arakawa, crimson queen, orangeola, kurubu yama, moonfire, kashima, seiryu, attraction, hoshi kuzu, pixie. Good luck.
many should grow nicely for you. My favorites are Fireglow, Orangeola, Inaba Shidare, Crimson Queen, Bloodgood, Omurayama, Boskoop Glory, and any coral bark, especially Beni Kawa and Sango Kaku, and don't forget the species, Acer palmatum. i have seen large plants in Franlinton, LA of Viridis, Oshu Beni, Bloodgood, and Sango Kaku.
