Seems like the kamagata will be the first maple to leaf out this spring for me. The two plants are from different sources but both with more buds than any of the other plants purchased last year. Is this a cultivar typically seen as "vigorous"? The red dragon seems a bit sleepy....
Paxi, It's interesting you would say Kamagata. I am not too far from you (like 3 hours north) and last year my Kamagata was the first to leaf out and was the one hit hardest by the freeze and suffered the most dieback. This year...it seems to be holding back and although the buds look healthy, they don't look ahead of anyone else. It kind of makes you wonder if they make adjustments due to the environment. I am envious of all who have trees leafing out. Paxi, my relatives live in the area and it has always been my marker for when things will be blooming in my area. Two weeks. So if yours are leafing, I know I have two weeks to wait. I can do it...I think:) Kay Dye
Every one of the last three years my Goshiki Kotohime is the first to leaf out, usually in mid/late March, followed by my Aoba Jo which is a 4 foot mature tree located in a protected area. Swanny
I have taken some pictures over the past few days of my Aoba Jo, a tree that doesn't seem to generate a lot of interest, but certainly is one of my favorites. The first two weeks in April are always magical! Swanny
I love aoba jo. I just picked one up this year. My first was kotohime, all of the other hime's not to far behind. Krautz
my amur maple (ginnala) is always the first. of my palmatums, katsura, mikawa yatsubusa, and the hime's like oto hime are the first but all are slightly after the amur maple
First maple ,Tataricum tormalidoides, in the start Febbrary!!! second Caudatifolium, ,after Barbinerve first jm Fire Glow...
Acer ginnala (left), and low, sheltered shoots of Acer pseudoplatanus (right). Photos today, taken with light snow falling!
The relevant question for me is not: Which was your first maple to leaf out this spring?, but : Which was your last maple to leaf out this spring?, So this afternoon I took a look in the garden and found a number of species yet to leaf out: Griseum (of course), carpinifolium, oliverianum, pentaphyllum, henryi, longipes (and cultivars), capillipes, rufinerve (and cultivars), and some pseudoplatanus cultivars. Concerning the (hundreds) of palmatum cultivars only four are still at the bud-breaking stage: Tana, Shirazz, Geisha and Hohgyoku. Otherwise the garden is an explosion of colors. Gomero
My first maples to leaf out have been palmatums. Winter flame leads the way, followed by Beni Hime. I also bought a few new maples last weekend at Greer Gardens. They were in a greenhouse, and have fully leafed out, so they don't count. I got a Acpa Berry Dwarf, and Acpa Shinobuga Oka.
The first maples to leaf out for me were "Japanese Sunrise" and "Ueno Homare". I winter all my maples in a coldframe so they are in an engineered environment! They were breaking well on March 25th and have since filled out well! Lee
Great looking collection Lee. Nice to see a fellow Missourian on the board although it sounds like you are far away from me.
Gomero, It's interesting that geisha and shirazz are two of the last to leaf out...would you say that shirazz is likely a sport of geisha?
My first Japanese maples to leaf out were Koto no ito, Kamagata, Mikawa yatsubusa, and Beni ubi gohon. Latest were Villa toranto, Autumn Moon and Red Dragon.
I have no idea on the parentage of either Shirazz or Geisha. All I can say from my shortlived experience with them is that they look quite different type of plants to me, i.e.: they do not look related at all. Gomero
So far, I'm watching Aconitifolium and Japanese Sunrise racing to be the first. I have a tiny Koto-no-ito that I aquired this winter that has leafed out, but was indoors for a spell when it first arrived, so it doesn't count. Living in Massachusetts is such a lesson in patience! :)
Katsura, mikawa yatsubusa, kiyohime yatsubusa, aconitifolium were early for me. We had some hard late frosts, and the tress handled them well. A new ibo nishiki and yama hime arrived with leaves from the greenhouse .. yama hime seems developmentally stuck for the last couple of weeks, but it's a new tree to me so not sure if that is unusual. aka shigitatsu sawa, green cascade, kuru jishi, shin deshojo, sangu kaku are all just starting break bud. Tsuma Gaki, oridono nishiki, my ghosts and A. shirasawanums are all showing a few open buds, but not out yet by any means.
This is good news as i was worried why my oridono nishiki was not advancing in bud growth While my Katsura is out and my shin deshojo is just starting opening it's buds. Maybe within the next week i hope!
