Dwarfest (?) Japanese Maple

I need one for a particular spot. I would love suggestions. Thanks.

There are lots of dwarf Japanese maples to choose from. Do you have a particular color or shape in mind? My favorite dwarf is called 'Kamagata' but, like I said, there are many worth owning. I also like 'Sharp's Pygmy' though I read recently that it can get much bigger than originally thought so it may not be technically a dwarf anymore.

You might also want to post this on the Japanese maples thread for more feedback.

Thanks for that suggestion. I will ask in the maple forum.

I agree...my Pygmy is outstanding...but may be toooo small for what you want. The Pygmy strain is supposed to be the slowest growing in the world...I have had a Garnet Pygmy in a 9" pot for 7 years and it is just now ready to move to an 11" pot...

kdw - it would also be helpful to know the conditions it will be in - sun/moisture

It would be morning sun and afternoon shade.

I don't want to overwhelm you with choices, but here's a list of dwarf cultivars that I compiled. You can use it as a starting point, I guess.

Akita yatsubusa
Aoba jo
Aratama
Baby Lace
Beni hime
Beni Hoshi
Berry Dwarf
Brandt's Dwarf
Caperci Dwarf
Coonara Pygmy
Coral Pink
Elizabeth
Garyu
Geisha
Globosum
Goshiki kotohime
Groundcover
Hanami nishiki
Hoshi kuzu
Hupp's Dwarf
Iso chidori
Issai nishiki
Kamagata
Kandy Kitchen
Kashima
Kiyohime
Kotohime
Koto ito komachi
Koto maru
Kurui jishi
Mapi-no-machi hime
Mikawa yatsubusa
Murasaki hime
murasaki kiyohime
Ojishi
Oto hime
Pixie
Red Elf
Ryuzu
Seigen
Sharp's Pygmy
Shidava Gold
Shishio hime
Shishi yatsubusa
Skeeter's Broom
Tama hime
Tsukomo
V.Corbin
Wilson's Pink Dwarf
Yatsubusa
Yuri hime

gsox you really want to kill the rabbit:)

Just those wascally wabbits!

Oh,no. I am wascally. But nice. ;-)
Thanks for the list. I'll check them out.

You'll have more JMs than oaks if you get after that list.

Must...save...room...for...viburnums...

I love mikawa yatsubusa. I assumed a had a picture of one of mine somewhere, but all I can find is this pix of a young plant still in a pot. But it gives you an idea of it's size and the wonderfully overlapping leaves. Nice fall color too. I wish I had a shot of a more established plant. Very pretty.

Here's the young guy.
It's to the left of center in the picture. In the japanese pot.

Weerobin, that maple is very nice. I'll probably put it on my list. And that is a very nice shade garden you have.
Don't worry, VV. I have about 5 more acres to plant. ;-) And I'm definitely not through collecting viburnums.

can't jm's and viburnum live happily together:)

In my garden they can and do. :-)

That list from Gardensox should keep you busy, but there is (at least) one missing--Shishigashira. It is a cute tree with tiny, wrinkled leaves, shown here in a planter last year...

nice container set up granite!

I also love Shishigashira, but it can get quite big.
Here's one by my front door (showing you how well I value it).
It's at least 6ft tall already and growing...
But it's a beautiful, unique JM.

Yeah, I didn't include Shishigashira on my list because I was under the impression that it can get up to about 10 feet. I guess that could be considered "dwarf" for some yards but in my yard that takes up a lot of my available space.

Granite, I love the dish garden. Is there a name for that style like there is for Bonsai?
I guess I should have said miniature. I'm looking for one that doesn't get over 2 or 3' tall and wide.

if you keep them in a pot they would stay smaller - i have one planted that is 4' and will get to the 10-12' range with time.

Killdawabbit, the style for that planter is called "put together whatever you've got lying around". By the time you get to old age, that is a lot of stuff to work with! The idea for doing this came from the website www.essenceofthetree.com. Prior to visiting their site, it just hadn't occurred to me that the container didn't have to just hold one tree, it might hold some other things too. The picture was from early in the season--it got better as the plants filled it up. I also love adding an interesting rock to planters--marrying my two hobbies, as you might guess from my graniteneiss name ;-)

LMBO!!!