Your favorite japanese maples for California?

I may be adding a couple of japanese maples to my yard. What are your favorites for year-round interest (summer leaf color, fall color, etc.)?

I'm looking for some that aren't too prone to leaf burn. They will have partial shade to shade, so it shouldn't be a huge problem except in hot weather.Since they will be against a fence, I think I'm leaning more towards an upright form than a weeping one. I am a huge fan of brilliant fall color, if that helps.

I appreciate any suggestions.

Acer p. 'Emperor One'......my favorite red. It is an improved 'Bloodgood' that doesn't get as big and keeps the red color better in hot climates (like the Central Valley!). I will take a pic of mine and post it (too dark out now!) so you can see. It's gorgeous.

Acer p. 'Seriyu'....my favorite green. It takes our hot weather even though it is a threadleaf type. Incredibly lacy with a beautiful form.

Karen :~D

I can't wait to see the pictures of those two, Karen. Thanks for the quick response.

I have an 'Emperor One' but not a 'Seriyu'. I'll see if I can find one to take a pic of soon. k

Crimson Queen has been very successful for me

Dick

Acer p. 'Emperor I' (I spelled it wrong above) Neither of these are mine, I took the pics at a local nursery.

K

This message was edited Apr 13, 2005 9:39 AM

Acer p. 'Seriyu'

Those are beautiful, Kachinagirl.

I have two threadleaf maples in my front yard now, Crimson Queen and Viridis. Both look fabulous now, but they routinely get leaf burn in the mid to late summer even in their shaded locations. They are getting plenty of water, so I've just been chalking it up to dry, hot conditions. (Has anyone found the magic formula to prevent this?)

I've been also looking at 'Osakazuki' (http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/83378/index.html). I like having green leaves in the summer and then a dramatic change in fall colors. Has anyone tried this variety or others like it?

Keeping the soil acidic helps. You might try topdressing with Forest Humus and/or giving Azalea/Camellia fertilizer during the growing season. Read the package (more is NOT better!) for the amount to give. I've found that here in Modesto (where we get hotter for a longer period than you do) that if the soil is REALLY prepped well for them they fare better. I dig a VERY large hole....48" x 48"....and backfill with either straight Azalea/Camellia mix (pricey) or native soil amended heavily with acidic products. The forest humus not only adds the acid but keeps the soil evenly moist. If your tree is watered with sprinklers I recommend you lay a hose under it several times during the summer and let it run for 30 minutes to an hour and a half (depending on your soil type). This moistens the lower soil and keeps the roots happy.

K

I'll have to try the fertilizer and watering tips. I live in an oak forest, so I would think the soil would naturally have a lot of forest humus from the decomposing leaves. However, it probably has more heavy clay mixed in than a good camellia/azalea mix would have.

Oak trees have tannins, a chemical that changes the soil chemistry in an attempt to keep rival plants from grwoing in their root area. I don't know what the ph of Oak tannin is, but I'm guessing it probably isn't doing much to help your Japanese Maples. Perhaps someone more knowledgable about this than I am will step in and educate us both! I grow my Japanese Maples in full sun! Yep! Except for the very frail types of course, I use more sun-tolerant types in full sun. But personal experience and 'science experiments' have shown me that soil chemistry has a LOT to do with how well they do.

K

I will second the vote for "Emperor 1". I bought one last year and was so impressed I got a friend to buy one also. Mine is in partial shade, his is in full sun very windy, and both are doing beautifully. It is a vigorous new variety with lovely form and color.

For winter interest one of the coralbark maples is always good. 'Sango Kaku' is no longer under patent so you can find them at relatively cheap prices for bigger sizes, but the newer varieties keep their reddish bark color on old as well as new wood.

For true absolute shade, 'Aureum' aka 'Full Moon Maple' is one of the loveliest. It is a full size tree but grows so slowly (6" in a GOOD year) you can consider it in a smaller garden. Very expensive, last year I found a good looking 4' specimen for $80 and snatched it up because that was at least $50 less than they usually are.

I would love to have some, but it is quite windy here and that just seems to burn up the leaves making them look ratty. Banana leaves split all the time, but I am used to that.

I love the color of the Full Moon Maple. I may have to try that one in my shadiest spot. Maybe I can find a spot for Emporer 1 in a partly shaded area.

What are some of the new coralbark maples? I've only heard of Sangu Kaku?

Lilystorm, try this link to Regan's Nursery in Fremont

http://www.regannursery.com/also_in_stock/japanese_maples.htm

Another good supplier in the Northern CA area is Mountain Maples, where I just got my Emperor 1. It can get into the 100's in the summer (not for long, though) and the people at Mountain Maples recommended that particular variety.

You can check out their website:

www.mountainmaples.com

They are located in Laytonville, about 20 minutes south of me, and about 2 hours north of Santa Rosa. Very nice people.

Lori

Here's my 'Emperor I'. Unfortunately the sun on the leaves doesn't allow the dark leaves to show their true color. It was windy, hopefully it's not to blurry!

Karen :~D

Nice looking tree!

I used to get a catalogue from Mountain Maples. They have a nice selection, but I wish I lived closer! Regan's Nursery has a good list of maples too.

thanks :~D

Here's the news on planting Japanese maples in the sun. Some of them are better than others, but almost all of them can take more sun than we think. The trick is to gradually get them used to it before planting. You can very often ask nurserys to do this for you. They generally have been growing in pretty shady conditions. I have a quite a number growing in full sun. Definitely an Acer Palmatum can take it. I have a Sangu Kaku (coral bark) that is against a west-facing wall. I have a red lace-leaf in full sun too. On the otherhand I've had good luck growing them in more shade than you'd think. My Bloodgood doesn't get any and it still turns bright red. There are other cultivars that stay redder in the summer though.

I have just learned recently that the stated sizes on Japanese Maples are mostly too small. The reason is that they weren't too popular before the 1970's but now experience is that they grow quite large in California. I saw an Acer Palmatum that was at least 35 feet tall recently. My 'Butterfly' (which I love, but needs more sun than I have it in. It isn't as pink as it might be) grew to 14 feet and had to be pruned drastically to stay in it's place. Evidently they can get to 25 feet.

I don't know what this tree is but I love it. I have to prune it pretty drastically to keep it in it's place (It's supposed to be a 6-10 foot tree like the butterfly). It has palmate leaves and it's really beautiful in the fall. It's one drawback is that it holds onto it's leaves and you have to pull them off.

Sadly, another without a name. This is planted between a west facing wall and huge shrubs on the western side. It's the laciest lace leaf that I've ever seen.

This is the multitrunked a. palmatum in February. I love these trees. They are sort of subtle but they bloom in the spring and have wonderful little red winged seed coverings. And the shape is really worthwhile.

It's another thing to think about while choosing a maple - shape.

Here's the A. Palmatum in the bud stage at the end of February.

Also, I have been using a fertilizer recommended by Mountain Maples. It's really great and is important, especially under your Oak trees to keep them from getting diseased, but I buy it elsewhere. The shipping is just too high - otherwise, they'd have the business.

This message was edited Apr 22, 2005 6:04 PM

Doss,

Which fertilizer from Mountain Maples are you referring to? Is that the 'Protect'? Or is it the Fox Farm Japanese Maple fertilizer? I just bought a box of the Fox Farm, and used it with my new Emperor 1, but I just planted it, so I won't know how well it works for a while.

Lori

I use the Pro-Tek. But that's only a fertilizer booster. It is supposed to protect the cell walls and keep leaf burn to a minimum. I have seen a change since I started using it. I use it with DynaGrow. But I'm sure that Fox Farm is just fine. I've never heard of it. Mountain Maples also recommends a program of Python fungicide. It's copper based and if you haven't had problems with root rot I don't know that I would use it. That I haven't used, but I don't know the conditions under your Oak trees. Are they California Live Oaks? If they are, I don't know how Japanese Maples do with Oak Root Fungus. You should check.

The photo is a threadleaf weeping maple that is in full sun. I don't have leaf burn on it in the summer. It's about 3 feet tall and should stay short. Here's hoping.

This one is my favorite tree of all. It doesn't turn any great colors, but it's just lovely in every way. Everyone loves to sit under it in the summer. It was sold to me as a "seedling" japanese Maple but it's a more weeping form than my A. Palmatums. This tree has been in the ground for about 30 years and is about 15 feet tall. I do have a lot of "seedlings". I could try to send you a couple - I have to pull them anyway, but you'd have to wait a few years to see results. :-)

Lilystorm, you live right next door. You should come see yourself. Roger Reynolds Nursery in Atherton has a great Japanese Maple man and they carry a lot of different types. Want to take a short road trip? Maybe not as many as Yamagamis. But we could make an appointment with the tree man.

I'd love to see your maples, doss. I've been swamped with work, kids, and life lately, so I'll have to wait a bit for things to calm down here. I'll definitely take you up on that, though.

I was at Roger Reynolds a few years ago and was impressed with their maples. They had such large specimens for a nursery. Yamagami's has a good selection too.

Whenever, lilystorm. It's an invitation, not a command performance (LOL)

If you have work and kids and a garden you're a busy gal. And I know that sometimes you need time to sleep and eat. Take the time and be with your kids. Enjoy!

Just one thing about choosing a maple. You'll notice with the last photo that the pale green looks great against the dark green Redwoods. A darker tree would have been lost. I've had it happen. That's why the gray foliage in the planter with the red tree. It got good and lost so I had to put something in to brighten it up in the middle of the summer when it's foliage went dark.

This message was edited Apr 22, 2005 11:22 PM

Doss,

I love the pale-green maple. It's gorgeous! I have a very young, green weeping maple, and I love it. Thank you for the information on the fertilizer. I'll have to look into it. I don't want my Emperor One to burn this summer.

Lori

I woke up thinking of you all this morning and something I forgot. Wind has a tremendous effect on leaf burn. I do get a little leafburn on trees that aren't protected from the wind. And remember that you need to deep water them once a month in addition to regular water in the summer, especially when they are young. That will help them grow deeper roots and that makes a huge difference in leaf burn too.

One more photo. The tree on the left is a 'Butterfly'. I'm going to have to take a better photo for the plantfiles. The tree on the left you can see above. It's the first one I posted in front of the windows. This photo was taken November 9. I'll take a couple of leaves in and see what they are. About time.

I found out what the names of these trees are. The pale one is 'Koto no ito'. It's the palest green thread leaf. The other with the wider leaf is called 'Maiku jaku' or 'The dancing Peacock' . Also known as a split leaf full moon maple. It's quite lovely all year around. These are trees that stop people when they are walking through the garden.

Doss, is the one you show by your pool the "maiku jaku" variety? I was thinking about using a full moon maple, but I didn't now there were different varieties of it.

'Maiku Jaku" is the tree to the right of the front door.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58180/index.html

I still don't know what the tree next to the pool is. I'll have to take it to the Japanese Maple man. I tried on Tuesday but he only works Friday-Sunday. The reason the person who sold it to me said to buy it is that it isn't grafted and therefore was hardier. I'll try to get a better description than seedling.

I have enjoyed all your pictures Doss. My favorite is the seedling by your pool. What great form and color. I wonder if it is one of a kind.

I'll see what I can find out. I'll take my laptop with me this time and a couple of leaves. I am partial to multitrunked versions of trees if you want them to spread. It's very vigorous and I get lots of seedlings under it and have to rub new growth off of it's trunk in the spring.

Beautiful trees Doss, hopefully I'll get to see them in person one day! :~D

Mountain Maples has an article about growing trees in hot dry weather you might find interesting. I found it wandering around trying to find out how big that 'seriyu' might get. They didn't have the culitvar though. Any idea Kachinagirl? I think that I'm drooling.

http://www.mountainmaples.com/WS4D_Cookie=4.28.05_08,38,11_29/Articles/ART_hot_dry_west.html

Just found this website that discusses seedling maples. It's very interesting. Apparently mine may very well be one-of-a-kind - but I could send you a tiny little seedling. I still haven't pulled them this spring. They all look pretty true to form.

http://japanese-maple.com/index.html

This message was edited Apr 28, 2005 8:52 AM

Monrovia says 10-15' tall by 6-8' wide. They will probably get larger with time, but that's about the size I've seen them around here.

http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/715018c0a554020088256f1600604920/a24ad5fcd6cd7c808825684d0070250c!OpenDocument&Click=77a6cc4887b5c2ab88256f0e007d62a5/$Body/0.1CC0

K :~D

(Edited...P.S. Thanks for that link Doss. I printed it up to give my "DIY" clients!)

This message was edited Apr 28, 2005 9:04 AM

You're welcome and thanks K. Mountain Maples has another article on preventing leaf burn which I found interesting.
There's a trade off between good watering and root rot though.

http://www.mountainmaples.com/WS4D_Cookie=4.28.05_09,34,50_64/Articles/ART_soil.html

You shouldn't have done this to me lilystorm. I'm thinking, maybe I can put a dwarf tree here somewhere.