J. Maples in pots? Please post pics

Wow, that is some snowfall in your garage! hehehe ;-)

You have some lovely containers too. Are the boxes cedar? Isn't it good that JM's can take their roots being bothered so much. How great to have enough room for all those trees!

Hey you are right. The cedar/wood pots are kind of cool. Is the one on the left an arrangement? I can see a couple of non-maple things peeping through the snow. Got any pics of pre-snowfall? The one in the blue pot sure has a nice trunk on it.

Laura

Yes they are cedar. I wish I could get redwood out here without having to sell my soul to afford it. I had a 16ft 2x6 crack on me while building my deck and an extra 2x4 and some other scrap that I built these two out of. The downside is that the large container is too big for me to carry so I have to enlist help now a couple of time a year. That one has a dwarf mugo and a Chishio Improved which should hopefully be happy for years in that container. I would rather not bother them that much, but the only two I ever lost in the winter were in tiny pots that either got to cold or turned into an ice cube when I watered lightly even on a warmer day, so I am trying this method now for the 2nd year. So far so good as I haven't lost one yet in anything close to a gallon container. Here is the deck and that snow that signaled the moved into the garage.

Bill

Oops, over typed ya Laura. The blue pot is just a cut-leafed staghorn sumac that I couldn't find a spot for in the garden yet, or ever with its suckering potential. Everybody thinks it is a japanese maple though and it works well in that container for now but probably need repotting. I think I have a pic of that container at work so I will try and post again manana. I just put a small section of Acorus in there until the mugo and maple fill in a little or I think of something else as a small scale filler. I really like some containers I have seen either at Mountain Maples and/or by a guy over on GW who doesn't post much anymore near St. Louis if I remember. They both have very nice dovetails that I would need a jig for or nicer hand tools and more patience.

Bill

Happy belated birthday Doss.

Bill

Looking forward to the pics. How about a bit of thyme on the surface, to creep over the edges? Comes in lots of colors and smells nice when you touch it.

Good shot of the two of you, in the snow, by the way!

Laura

Thyme might work. I hadn't really put any thought into that planter. I liked the lime green of the acorus and more importantly I had a clump that wasn't doing well and was replacing with Hakonechloa so stuck a little piece in the planter.

What, no comment on my deck that I slaved over? :)

Thanks Laura

Bill

It is not the best pic and the Chishio isn't very full yet. Hopefully it works well. It did have good fall color.

Bill

David & Ryuzu~~

I assume you were trying to caution me, in your posts above on Dec 10, not to long for a plant that grows a certain way in Todd's garden, because it will look possibly very different in my garden. While I appreciate your concern - I have been gardening for over 20 yrs and am well aware of the fact that any plant, not just Japanese Maples, can vary quite a bit from one garden to the next, one zone to the next....but thank-you so much for the concern... :-) I have been discussing and looking at posts of Todd's plants for several years now, and have found his taste to be exquisite.... and am quite often thrilled with the plants I have purchased after hearing of them from him, or seeing his pics and posts! I already had that particular tree on my list, and his pics just moved it up a bit towards the top 10....

Again, thank-you for your concern that I might be wanting a tree that wouldn't look quite the same in my garden as in the pics.....good info for sure!

Jamie

Nice deck...like the railing particularly. The cedar box blends well with it.

Laura

That's what I was fish'n for. Thanks for biting Laura. :)

Bill

Bill~~I am absolutely green with envy - that deck is gorgeous! I would love to have one, and yours is soo well done! The railing is lovely, and the planter is also wonderful, looks like it was made to go there - oh, it probably was..LOL :-)

Very, very nice!
Jamie

Heh, I have a patio/retaining wall with 4x4s and no railings because we could not decide on the pattern we wanted! I bought some of those metal balusters, but need to figure out how to evenly space them and get them straight from the top to the bottom rail. Suppose I'll sort it out in spring!

Laura

Hi Jamie,

I don't think that is was so much caution to you, but interesting tid bits about a plant many people often become infatuated with, Aka shigiatatsu sawa and some basic ideas about how these plants perform when we begin to talk selected seedlings of reticulated parents. The fact that your garden environment differs from Todd's or mine has nothing to do with the fact that a plant you buy as Aka shigitatsu sawa will never have the red coloration of the vertrees photos nor will it have the deep green veination. All will be reduced. I find the story of of that plant and the Beni form of it an interesting commentary about have maples have evoled in the trade over time. I have the Beni form of Shigitatsu sawa and I have seen a form that is almost the caliber of the original plant--all are beautiful no matter what climate you try to grow them in. They consistently perform.

I think that david will agree that there are lots of new and great variegated maples around, but I wanted everyone to know that I think having the basic two or three in a collection is critical before running out to by the newest Ghost or whatever.

Anyway, I dont' think this has much to do with potted maples, so I'll return the thread to its intended topic.

Cheers.

I would ditto R's post it was a simple discussion sorrounding varias posts not ment to caution to anyone pin particular so much as explore the area. We all have varying degreees of expertise and most of us have NO idea how knowledgeable others are . Therefore no one should take offense if anyone here points out stuff ya know already...others may not . I know I have benefitted greatly from R's comments and scientific outlook and yes some stuff I was well aware of and other stuff not and has been extreemly helpful. Hopefully folks will see answers as being a discussion in general to the group that helps educate us all and furthers our love JM's rather than stiffle discussions cause of being afraid to offend. Again if it did offend in any way I gurantee ya that was not the purpose our posts. David

Jamie, you have me blushing over your comments! I'm quite flattered that you think my taste in plants is exquisite.

ryuzu, Did I miss something or do you have the two basic variegated cultivars listed?

this is a great thread Laura. Some beautiful plants and a great discussion.

And Willis - thanks for the birthday wish. I appreciate it. I've been well celebrated thanks to folks here.

Todd~~ Always have, always will!! Your garden is an inspiration.....truly!

Jam

Todd, let me add my thanks for the photos you post, inspiring is a great word...they not only get me thinking about my own designs (and drooling over some of the plants), but the ones with descriptions you took time to fill in up in the plant files are a big help too. Not sure how much of your time it takes but it is appreciated.

Laura

This is a Red Dragon that is destined for a pot. I actually potted it this past week, wanting it to be dormant when I did the root pruning. It looks great without the leaves also. Lots of movement in the trunk and branches.

Happytail - that is an incredibly beautiful JM but I am pretty sure that it's not a Red Dragon. I have never seen a red cultivar get that green. Is there any chance it was mismarked?

Are you going to put it in the black plastic pot or are you going to get a glazed pot for it? It's certainly nice enough to enjoy the latter!

I tend to be heavy-handed with my hose so I plant my JMs in pots with a cactus mix I get from the nursery, very fast draining. They are doing much better now.

It has a very graceful shape.

Laura

It is a beautifully shaped JM, happytail. So graceful looking. I have a new question, has anyone ever collected seeds from their JM and started any successfully? I know it would take a long time, but I am curious.
Teresa

Come visit in the spring and you can have hundreds of JM seedlings from my red and green trees. The "fancy" varieties do not come true from seed.

Brooke

jamie,
I'd like to try and help you solve your naming issue.
If you are sure that the name begins with "beni"...one possiblility is that it is a 'beni shidare'.
This weeping dissectum has brown-reddish spring growth which fades to green shades in summer, becoming orange-red to yellow in fall. (van Gelderans)

This is probably the most common reddish dissectum aside from 'beni kumo-no-su', which appears to have more finely cut leaves that the images you've shown. This cultivar is brighter red in spring before fading to bronze green in summer, becoming bright red in the fall. (Vertrees)

There is also the cultivar 'beni tsukasa shidare', which is similar to the 'beni shidare'. (Vertrees)

As you've probably noticed, there are several other cultivars that are similar to what is shown that don't have beni in the name. Regardless of the cultivar name, from what I can tell it is in the 'Dissectum Rubifolium' family.

I hope that helps a little.

Has anyone had success at planting JM seeds?

I'll let you know, I'm trying some from my Coral Bark but they haven't germinated yet.

Laura

I planted some last spring and had about a 2% success rate without germination. I currently have a few hundred seeds in the fridge that I will try this spring.

mattlwfowler~~I hadn't checked into Dave's for a couple days.....and didn't see your post till today. Thank-you for your post, and for the several suggestions in it! I am going to look up each of these maples, and let you know what comes of it. I will also be taking better pics of this tree as it leafs out this spring, and through the growing season....maybe better pics will help a bit.. :-)

Thanks again!

Jamie