Look beyond ‘Bloodgood’ and you’ll find out-of-the-ordinary varieties that will make your heart beat just a bit faster
There are n’t many nurseryman — beginners or experts — who do n’t be intimate a Japanesemaple(cultivars ofAcerpalmatum , A. japonicum , andA. shirasawanum , USDA Hardiness geographical zone 5–8 ) . They ’re some of the most pop trees in our landscape , offering graceful forms , vividfoliagecolors , and undeniable stunner . The fair garden centre of attention , unfortunately , has only five or six mixed bag to choose from , and they ’re ordinarily the pop standards , like ‘ Bloodgood ’ ( A. palmatum‘Bloodgood ’ ) , and various burgundy threadleaf varieties , like ‘ Crimson Queen ’ ( A. palmatum‘Crimson Queen ’ ) . While these varieties are wondrous , they offer no hint of the kaleidoscope of colors , SHAPE , and texture to be had in the wider world of Nipponese maples . We surveyed a identification number of Nipponese - maple aficionados to need for their absolute favourite motley in several categories . Their pick will stimulate and entice you , and send you on the hunt to rule a variety beyond ‘ Bloodgood ’ .
Most Exciting New Variety
‘Olsen’s Frosted Strawberry’
Name : A. palmatum‘Olsen ’s Frosted Strawberry ’
Mature size of it : Up to 10 substructure marvelous and spacious
This exciting new variety is a hit with many of our expert , and it ’s prosperous to see why . The foliation emerges strawberry ruddy and pinkish in spring , and lightens to a variable show of pinkish , silvery white , and light-green with pink leafage stem . In fall , the leaves wrench tincture of orange and pink . Slow mature and slenderly weeping , ‘ Olsen ’s Frosted Strawberry ’ is sure to pull fawning attention in any garden . Give this variety afternoon shade for the best gloss show .
Our experts say :
“ This is a multicolored showstopper that change with the light and the season . Give it the good localisation and you ’ll get silvers , Red , and green all at once . ”
– Henry Eastwood and Francie Schroeder are co - possessor of Eastwoods Nurseries in Washington , Virginia , where they specialize in Japanese maples , conifer , and ginkgos .
Honorable mentions :
‘ Amber Ghost’,‘Lileeanne ’s Jewel’,‘Rainbow ’
BestSpringColor
‘Shindeshojo’
Name : Acer palmatum‘Shindeshojo ’
Mature size : Up to 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide
The leave of this stunning variety emerge bright pinkish deep red in leap , slowly evanesce to green , with flower of pink thereafter on new growing . The frame of ‘ Shindeshojo ’ is shrubby and dense , and its young stems are reddish brown to abstruse purple .
Our expert says :
“ This amazing maple has the most brilliant red spring people of color . It wows in autumn , too , with pastel colors in shades of orange tree and crimson . ”
– Robert Jamgochian has been collecting rarified and exotic maples at Mendocino Maples Nursery in Mendocino , California , for more than 25 yr .
‘ Katsura’,‘Ariadne’,‘Geisha Gone Wild ’
Best Variegated Foliage
‘Ukigumo’
Name : A. palmatum‘Ukigumo ’
ripe sizing : Up to 6 feet tall and wide
‘ Ukigumo ’ resist out for its dense , striking variegation in shades of white , sick super C , and pink . This is a small upright tree with attractive horizontal branching . Give it morning sun and good afternoon tincture for the best gloss show and to obviate burning its delicate leafage . Gardeners in affectionate climates might have a less - than - optimal diversification display .
“ This is an extraordinary small Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . The atypical diversification is most judge at the pourboire of the diminished lobe , where the nearly snowy ground color is circumstantially spot and smeared with green and the lobe edge and bantam teeth often march in raging pink . Sometimes , whole leaves are stain pink , and on function , leave may be partially or entirely green . The Nipponese name translate as ‘ swim cloud , ’ an entirely appropriate appellation for this lighter - than - tune confection . ”
– Douglas Justice is a member of the Maple Society and the curator of collections at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Vancouver , British Columbia .
‘ Butterfly’,‘Shirazz’,‘Manyo no sato ’
Best Dark Foliage
‘Trompenburg’
Name : A. palmatum‘Trompenburg’Mature size:18 to 20 feet tall and panoptic
The foliation of ‘ Trompenburg ’ egress bright red in spring , matures to deep Venetian red in summer , and turn reddish bolshie in fall . It ’s a passably great , fast - originate tree , and it is resistant of promising sun and oestrus .
“ The edges of its leaves are attractively rolled under , giving the folio an strange and typical digitate quality . The use of the works is powerfully upright with layered sidelong fork . It ’s grotesque in a large container . ”
— Douglas Justice
‘ Moonfire’,‘Emperor I’,‘Burgundy Jewel ’
Best Weeping Form
‘Inaba-shidare’
Name : A. palmatum‘Inaba - shidare ’
fledged size : Up to 10 feet marvellous and 12 metrical foot wide
This classic weeping , laceleaf variety fulfills every gardener ’s fantasy of a sculptural Japanese maple . The leaf of ‘ Inaba - shidare ’ come out mysterious purple in spring , lightens to burgundy in summer , and brightens to vivid red in fall . The tree ’s cascading domelike shape looks especially beautiful near a pool or as the focal point of a bed .
“ you could enjoy this maple as a prominent focal - point planting in any garden , but its small sizing make water it ideal for patio planter and container garden , as well . The growth habit , lastingness , and shape make it the quintessential weeping Japanese - maple cultivar for any location . ”
– Matt Nichols is an executive board member of the North American limb of the Maple Society and a co - proprietor of mrmaple.com , a mail - decree Nipponese - maple seller in East Flat Rock , North Carolina .
‘ Red Dragon’,‘Ryusen’,‘Sekimori ’
Most Unique Variety
‘Shishi-gashira’
Name : A. palmatum*‘Shishi - gashira ’
Mature size : Up to 15 feet grandiloquent and 12 foundation all-encompassing
‘ Shishi - gashira ’ is a alone , slow - growing diversity whose deep , coarse-textured leaves farm in superimposed tuft . Its strange characteristics make it democratic for bonsai and container garden , where it can be enjoyed close up . It ’s a slow grower and can bet awkward when young , and the leafage grow more sparsely than when mature . So some patience is required , which will be amply reward .
“ This easy - to - grow and sunlight - kind change has an unusual architectural shape with upright branches and small wrinkle leaves . It starts spring a few day earlier than most maple , with new leaves in an electric spook of green like no other you ’ve seen . The color gradually deepen to dark green and then move around bright orangeness - red ink to red and yellow in capitulation . ”
– Keith Johansson is a lifetime member and the current president of the North American branch of the Maple Society and the founder and proprietor of Metro Maples in Fort Worth , Texas .
‘ Fairy Hair’,‘Baby Lace’,‘Korean Gem ’
Best Fall Color
‘Orangeola’
Name : A. palmatum‘Orangeola ’
get on size:8 to 10 feet tall and up to 8 feet all-inclusive
Perhaps ‘ Orangeola ’ wins this class in part because its changeable , brainy orangish - crimson fall foliage stands out from the more familiar genuine bright reds of most Japanese maple in fall . But its graciously cascading , lacy leaves are just as compelling . This smorgasbord does particularly well in hot , sunny climates . Expect orange - red spring color that fades to orange tree - touch Green River in summer , with efflorescence of orange new growing .
“ This vigorous variety is awe-inspiring to watch grow as it seems to be a tiny bit different every twenty-four hour period . Its dim , weeping use make it fun to prune and shape . The autumn coloring material are sometimes orange , sometimes pinkish red , and many time a brilliant thick ruby red several shades darker than most other Japanese maples . ”
— Keith Johansson
‘ Hogyoku’,‘Ukon’A. japonicum’,‘Dancing Peacock ’
Best Dwarf Form
‘Mikawa-yatsubusa’
Name : A. palmatum‘Mikawa - yatsubusa ’
fledged size : Up to 5 ft magniloquent and encompassing
The North American branch of the Maple Society vote ‘ Mikawa - yatsubusa ’ “ Maple of the Year ” for 2015 . It ’s a small behind - growing variety that is pop for bonsai . Its densely layer foliage emerges yellow - green in outflow , darkens to fat green in summertime , and brightens to golden orangeness to Red River in fall .
“ What separates this cultivar from all of the other delightful midget Nipponese maples is the attractive imbrication leaves that protect the flora against unexpected freezes . The delicately toothed , aim leaves appear to be much retentive than other nanus forms . I get a circumstances of ‘ wows ’ in my garden over this little jewel . ”
– Vince Dooley , former foreland football coach and athletic contest music director at the University of Georgia , is now an avid aggregator of Nipponese maples in Athens , Georgia .
‘ Sharp ’s Pygmy’,‘Kiyohime’,‘Kamagata ’
Best Midsize Tree
‘Orange Dream’
Name : A. palmatum‘Orange Dream ’
Mature size : Up to 12 feet tall and 10 groundwork broad
This rare maple is slow growing and good with an almost shrublike manakin and green bark . It boasts an ongoing show of ticklish colors throughout the growing season but is most value for its orange spring gloss . Give ‘ Orange Dream ’ afternoon shade for optimal public presentation .
“ Of the hundreds of variety I grow each twelvemonth , ‘ Orange Dream ’ is one of the most rewarding . The gloss pageant set about in early bounce , when leaf emerge bright orange with darker leafage perimeter . The color changes from orange to orange tree - yellow and eventually to lily-livered - green in midsummer . Autumn brings a show of fiery orange - yellow . The medium vigor and shaggy-haired , upright habit make it outstanding for many landscape painting options . ‘ Orange Dream ’ prefers morning Lord’s Day and afternoon shade to live up to its best color potential . ”
– Micah Norcom is the owner of Maplestone Ornamentals , a post - order nursery in Alliance , Ohio , specialize in Japanese maples and other rare trees .
‘ Kinran’,‘Katsura’,‘Skeeter ’s Broom ’
Best Threadleaf Variety
‘Koto-no-ito’
Name : A. palmatum*‘Koto - no - ito ’
matured size : Up to 12 human foot tall and encompassing
This upright , scatter tree ’s fine - textured leaf stands out . It emerges crimson in leaping , quickly turn unripe for summertime , until it heap on even more interest with its multihued fall show . In winter , the green barque of ‘ Koto - no - ito ’ lend a morsel of color to a dormant garden .
“ This assortment is often described as ‘ bamboolike . ’ The lobe of its green leafage vary slightly in width and catch the spark in different ways , adding to the beaut of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Then in fall , an amazing transformation occurs : dead , the leaf becomes a racy copper - gold tapestry overlaid with random shots of scarlet . It shimmers in the slanting autumn light . ‘ Koto - no - ito ’ was one of my first favorites — and even now that we ’ve arise more than 250 different cultivar , I still love it ! ”
– Sara G. Monte is a co - owner of Wildwood Farm in Kenwood , California , where she narrow in dogwoods , conifers , semidwarfginkgos , and Japanese maples .
‘ Tamukeyama’,‘Seiryu’,‘Beni - otake ’
Best Full-Size Tree
‘Osakazuki’
Name : A. palmatum‘Osakazuki ’
fledged size : Up to 25 feet tall and wide
The leaf of this upright , rounded tree is a pleasant , unassuming plenteous leafy vegetable all season long , lending a steadfast presence to a garden . But it ’s in fall that ‘ Osakazuki ’ sincerely skin , with fall color in a brilliant ruby red that outshines almost every other maple in its intensity .
“ Quickly growing to 18 feet tall ( or more ) in 10 old age , this tree is systematically taller than any other maple in the nursery . Its firm upright variety and clear , brilliant red tumble gloss can be seen for miles . ”
– Patricia Smyth is a Japanese - maple specialist and the second - generation proprietor of Essence of the Tree , a mail - order Nipponese - maple glasshouse in Potter Valley , California .
‘ Ezo nishiki’,‘Shishi - gashira’,‘Beni - otake ’
The Care and Feeding ofJapanese Maples
Japanese maple , in general , are fairly easy to grow . Most are hardy in Zones 5 to 8 and prefer moist , well - debilitate , slightly acidic grime . But to ensure succeeder , here are a few more factors to consider .
Choose your location wisely
If potential , pick out a location aside from strong winds or blaze Lord’s Day . Most varieties prefer either Dominicus - dappled subtlety or morning Lord’s Day and afternoon spectre — especially in hot , sunny clime where Nipponese maple are prone to scorch leaves . Varieties grown for their fall color should be situated in somewhat brighter spots .
Fertilize sparingly
While they are not heavy bird feeder , Nipponese maple do profit from fertiliser twice yearly : once in spring before leave of absence emerge and then once more in midsummer . waitress until a year after planting to start , and fertilize at half the strength commend on the fertilizer ’s label . Most all - intention plant food will suffice .
Mulch generously
Mulch is highly recommended to insulate the antecedent of a Japanese maple and to conserve water . A 3- to 5 - in - recondite layer of bark mulch or wood poker chip is best .
Prune carefully
Prune your Nipponese maple every few years to take out deadwood and crossing branches and for nonaged defining and maintenance . Prune only from late summer to early winter to avoid undue sap loss .
Remove snow but not ice
Nipponese maples — especially weeping smorgasbord — are vulnerable to breakage from heavy snow loads , so shake or brush the tree off regularly throughout wintertime . Ice - covered branches , however , should not be touched because the branch are rooted and can easily crack .
Plant in fall
Planting in decline , six weeks before the first frost , afford maple a chance to go under in before winter , so they can start off established in give . Water freshly imbed Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree on a regular basis .
Michelle Gervais is a older editor program .
Plant photos : Doreen Wynja , except : Micah Norcom ; Elke Borkowski / gapphotos.com ; millettephotomedia.com ; Lynn Keddie / gapphotos.com ; Richard Bloom / gapphotos.com ; Dave Zubraski / gapphotos.com ; Clive Nichols / gapphotos.com . Participant
Photos : courtesy of the participant , Branden Eastwood . Illustrations : Abigail Lupoff
source :
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