red twigs in winter question

I've been reading mixed info on the red twigged JM's. Some say they don't hold their color, or only the new growth holds their color. Any one have experience with this. If it's new growth, would regular trimming of the larger branches be worth the time/shape difference?

My 'Twombley's Red Sentinel' has dark red twigs in the winter. Not bright, but a great JM.

i have sango kaku and beni kawa and both are have bright red branches.

Most red and other color barked JM cultivars are mainly red on new branches.Although when young most branches will be red.. There are full sized and dwarf varieties and some newer dwarfs that are "suppose" to hold their branch color better.Just as there is a constant attempt to develop the thinnest leaved Jm like Fairy Hair , also there is a constant attempt to develop a good red branched cultivar that stays red as it ages.Be Advised most of these color branched trees tend to be a bit more suspectable to both cold and wetness. As noted many red Jms will have red branches in winter to some degree, some are fairly bright during certain period of winter and early spring but the Sango and others like Aka hawa hime, Beni Maiko, Japanese Sunrise have been developed specifically for this, these trees tend to be much brighter red or orange/yellow . Most color barks tend to be rather common the rest of the year but a few like Japanese Sunrise are special in summer as well. Davidsan

This message was edited Jan 12, 2011 10:12 AM

Thanks for the advice. So the red stemmed ones are weaker than others? I've been reading mixed comments on the Sango, maybe being less hardy. The Beni kawa looks like a good replacement, but maybe hasn't been tested enough? I'll have to check the red sentinel.

Thats what you will find on the sango a real mixed bag .. I don't know if it is weaker just tends to more difficult for many to grow ... Twomblys Red Sentenal also called Red Sentenal same tree, is an excellant all around tree but it is no color bark like those others and much more conical/columnar. That is another trait folks have been striving for a conical /columnar Jm that will fit in tight spaces we all seenm to end up with at some tine.. Twombly seems to be more conical but if you look at Twomblys site that tree is not conical at all as a full grown cultivar It seems to be so as young so maybe trimming is the easy way to keep it so. The ones truly conical are new Tsukasa Silhouette which is a green cultivar and Ryuzen/Ryusei which are the same just the actual name is Ryusen .. the other is to keep from being sued ;>) It is a patented tree . VERY VERY cool also green but rare and pricey. Both these trees need to be staked whern young to achieve this stature. Of course there are some regular columnar acers but very few Jms, and Twomblys is the only red alleged columnar Jm I know of. Davidsans

This message was edited Jan 14, 2011 5:58 PM

David

Have you seen the "Biho" yet. That thing has incredible iridescent colors orange and yellow branches. Almost neon looking. It is so colorful it looks fragile.

I wonder if you have it and if it tolerates winter in your area.

Dave

Question: Are 'Biho' JM and 'Bihou' JM the same cultivar? I see that Davidsan has the latter on his availability list for 2011.

I checked the maple cultivar list first edition and it has 2 plants listed. 'Bi ho', and
'Bi hoo' which the book has an equal sign next to it going back to 'Bi ho'. There is no mention of a 'Bi hou'.

Dave

When I Googled "Biho Japanese Maple", I got only one source, but when it prompted me to ask for "Bihou Japanese Maple", I got a few other sources which listed it as 'Bihou'. The descriptions sounded the same. Probably will take a while for the nurseries to decide on what the accepted spelling will be.

Here is an explanation from a forum member maillot guy of UBC Botanical Garden. It is post #3. It seems that he knows the originator.

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9671

Dave

I think the now excepted but not necessarily correct name is Bihou even Talons uses it .. It may be a patent problem which as I stated above is one reason names are changed. Or just it looks better in english .. I doubt so many expert Jm growers and knowledgable propagators ( basically all of them as the above googling shows) would call it that because of mis spelling or mis translation whatever they are the same ..and the generally "accepted" spelling is Bihou. I should note Vertrees has Bi ho which came from Mailot .. a side note the tree works very nicely ( according to Vertrees) with the green branched cultivar Aoyagi or as is more commonly known as Ukon both are now considered the same tree. I personally am very fond of this tree and all light green leaf JMs.. It is a nice change from all those Reds. cultivars Davidsdan

This message was edited Jan 16, 2011 9:57 AM

This message was edited Jan 16, 2011 12:37 PM

Thanks for the clarification, both of you. Regardless of the name and spelling, it's an outstanding cultivar!