Zone 5 choices

I am wanting to purchase several Japanese Maples for my yard...can you help. I have the Bloodgood, but would like something else. Would Butterfly, or Waterfall survive in my zone? I am just not very familiar with JP's and would love some suggestions. I like the varigated varieties, also the lace-leaf etc..

Please help.

Deb

Hi Deb,

As a rule, the variegated types, such as Butterfly, are more tender than the red or green-leaved types. I lost Butterfly in zone 5b as well as the yellow-orange cultivar 'Katsura'. The weeping types such as Crimson Queen, Inaba Shidare, Red Dragon, Burgundy Lace, should do fine, as well as the green lace-leaved types such as Viridis or Waterfall. For large plant with spectacular fall colour, Osakazuki would do fine or you. We have a 25 foot specimen in my zone 5b city. Avoid the coral bark JM as that one too seems tender compared to the rest.

Thanks Todd...any suggestions from anyone else??

Obviously the most important thing is placement and protection. Todds suggestions are great ones.... I have about 25 varieties planted in zone 5b a little warmer ...although most are recent trees and this winter only got down to -5 for a couple of nights...I will report on my findings in a couple of months but being as that this winter was relativly mild it may NOT tell the whole story. I am a believer in planting older more well rooted trees ( non ebay twigs) to insure that they have a better chance ...This is more homeopathic than scientific but makes some sense. And you can always pot just about any variety and put it in the garage for the winter or other non freezing cold place to overwinter although I prefer to plant out . One suggestion is a unusual upright dissectum that is supposedly zone 5 a "happy" is Seiryu ...It's green and can become large but in your area I doubt it ...It's on my list and looks to be a 'keeper". There is one JM place near KC.. Harbor Village
http://www.arborvillagellc.com./ I KNOW NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THEM !!!...I think I wrote them and didn't hear back. My first choice as always is Della at JD'd Backyard Nursery http://nurserygirl1.tripod.com/index.html...She is IMHO tyhe top person for larger stuff gives you tons of personal attention answers emails quickly and SENDS PHOTOS of YOUR TREE before you buy it!!! In addition shipping to your area will most likely be 12-15$$ which is cheap for potshipped trees ( she doesn't mark up shipping like most others) I also like John Herter he is all business but honest and gives you good product ...I buy from his nursery NOT his ebay stuff http://www.japanesemaple.net/japanesemaple.htm

Good luck and remember once your addicted don't come crying to me ;>) David

Try these species:

japonicum
shirashawnum
sieboldianum
pseudosieboldianum

and definitely try palmatum 'Emperor I' as it's a bit hardier than 'Bloodgood'.

I have a 10 foot palmatum 'Seiryu' but purchased it as a 20-gallon plant so it had a lot of roots to start with along with the past years of much milder winter weather around here. So, I'm a firm believer that the better and larger the root system of more tender species like palmatum, you'll gain extra hardiness by either purchasing large plants or by producing larger plants continuous potting up of them, and giving them winter protection such as in a garage or maybe a pergola you covered with poly, etc. It's not much of an edge over mother nature, but at least it seems to me to be of some help. And mulch well each winter when needed.

Go for an Acer griseum too. Mine is growing as a weed would putting on somewhat heavy growth every other year. It's a beautiful tree to have.

Best of luck to you, but try Maples in those other species. You'll be very pleased as you would if you were to have palmatum's. Some other trees you might like to add to your landscape that will be hardy and have as much appeal as Japanese Maples are these:

Fagus sylvatica 'Tortulosa' or 'Tortulosa Purpurea'
Fagus sylvatica 'Purple Fountain' or 'Black Swan' or if desiring a plant that needs to be staked to it's ultimate height, Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Pendula'. These are all cutivars of European Beech.

For that variegated tree your looking for:
Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor'
Kornus kousa 'Wolf Eyes' is an excellent cultivar. (Fall Color is amazing as is the variegation)

A trio of Ginkgo biloba 'Fastigiata' or 'Princeton Centry' rising up behind some Maples.

And you surely couldn't go wrong with having a Dawn Redwood and one of it's cultivars 'Ogon' / 'Gold Rush' . And don't forget about the conifers as well. The vertical accents of plants like Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire'. The Golden Colors of plants like Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mops' etc. Some Pines that turn gold in the winter but are green the rest of the year like: Pinus mugo 'Fruhlings Gold', 'Winter Sonne' or Pinus mugo 'Aurea Fastigiata' and nother favorite of mine, Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph'. And maybe a Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst' for a 3-4 week long display of golden new growth during warm weather...and a few Picea glauca 'Pendula's hiding between and behind the Maples. I could go on and on obviously so better stop!

Good luck with your landscape, I mean it!

Dax

Thank you everyone for all your advice. I will check in to these and select several to try.

Deb

Dawn Redwood and one of it's cultivars 'Ogon' / 'Gold Rush' . And

Yes the dawn redwood is a really nice tree... Chris the gnome guy/gal has nice ones .... I bought a 5 ft one from him( her?) that was fully branched for about $25+ delivered ( I think they are out of this size but have smaller ones at really reasonable prices abnd I would expect similar quality)...All the stuff I have bought from them has been bigger and niceer than their site description .This place is first rate to buy ANYTHING he has cheap fast shipping good email response and a real nice person to deal with

http://plantandgnome.com/

The ogdon is also nice but much more expensive ....Greenwood Nursery has em..although they aint cheap...but their free shipping offer over 60$ is great and make the price palapable...They are a descent company to deal with but don't expect the same neighborly assistance that the gnomester gives... but they are a good company!!

http://www.greenwoodnursery.com

David

I'm in zone 5a also, but may be a little colder than you Debsroots. I'd like one hardy to zone 4 and fairly small, like 15'. Since I haven't done any research, I'll just see if any one knows one off the top of their head. It's one of those things where you think maybe someday I'll look into it.

You can try Acer Psuedosieboldianum. The common name is Korean Maple. That is supposedly hardy to around zone 4 and has the Japanese Maple characteristics you would want. Here is a link to a thread on this tree.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/552143/

Thanks Willis I've written it down. It gives me a place to start, maybe the only choice according to Todd.

Ottawa, Canada is in zone 5a and I've seen Bloodgood and Atropurpurea growing there. If Emperor I is suppose to be hardier than Bloodgood, I'd certainly give it a try. Just select a sheltered site...I think it could go. And yes, I swear by pseudosieboldiana for your zone 5a.

Thanks for the extra names Todd. It gives me a little choice.

Billy, since you're in Iowa you might want to check out this nursery:

http://www.ridgeroadplants.com/about.htm

I have been meaning to do a road trip down there for quite sometime, as I was interested in his lilacs... However, he carrys a selection of "oriental maples." Check him out, his web-site is interesting.

Diann

Thanks Diann, that isn't too far from here. I've never heard of them. I'm always interested in zone 4. Some plants are iffy in zone 5. I'd like to get lilacs going again. I was supposed to have red, white and blue. They were all blue!. I ordered 2 for the price of one. Guess what? Both blue. I finally tore them all out. I want a red one!