Show us your Jap. Maple fall colours!

I'm looking forward to your photos of acon. David. I agree, it's an amazing tree.

Acer Palmatum Oto Hime. It doesn't fit the discription of the plant. Mine has reticulated leaves. The spring color is pink and different shades of green.

Dave

Here is a maple that my brother found as a seedling. He named Acer Palmatum Winter Gold. This is the summer color. The branches are very yellow and in the winter against the snow it is very pronounced. It is almost a must to wear sun glasses when viewing this tree in the sun and snow.

Dave

Another close up of Acer Palmatum Verkades Winter Gold

Dave

What a breathtaking tree DAve. I'm really sorry that I had to limb up my seedling but it just had to be done.

I thinks that Acer Palmatum Fjellheim is one of the nicer coral barks. The plant here when seen in person almost looks like it has a fiber optic in the branches. Not much color this year.

Dave

Acer Palmatum Elegans. I find this plant the be nice color in the summer and finishes off very nice for the fall.

Dave

Acer Palmatum Sharpes Pygmea

Acer Palmatum Hogyoku. Very nice fall colors. That's all for now. I just wish that we have better colors this year, but I guess ya can't have everything.

Dave

Very nice, Dave.

Ok. Just 1 more. Acer Palmatum Green Cascade. This was my fathers plant. I guess about 30 years old.

Dave

The trunk on the Green Cascade is so beautiful. A heritage JM. What a nice thing to have from your father.

Some lovely JM there. My Sharp's Pygmy has a ways to go before it gets a trunk like that!

I am going to have to find an aconitifolium if it can take wind and exposure...I have that in spades. Winter Gold really is stunning!

I have to second the 'Fjellheim' comment. This is probably my most colorful tree through most of the year. Even in summer the new growth is tipped nicely with pinkish orange. Unfortunately this one and 'Aconitifolium' were the only trees of mine that colored up well because of the recent hard frosts we've had.
I'll also add that this dwarf of 'Sango kaku' seems to be a bit tougher in most respects. I have yet to see any dieback in my couple of years with it, although I don't know how well it would perform in the north. Oddly enought, it seems to be more heat and sun tolerant than its parent. Anthracnose has been the only thing that has left any damage to my two 'Fjellheim'.

This message was edited Nov 10, 2007 6:02 PM

I'd love a go at Fjellheim...Sango Kaku is a lost cause in my area due to major die-back. Only it and Katsura have been busts for me so far.

Very pretty! Hogyoku is one I've been hoping to see posted. Oto Hime is a real looker.

I drove around to some nurseries today to see their JMs. Fall color is mostly brown, even on the oldest trees. Sango Kaku is the exception. I'll try and get some pics processed this weekend. One of the nurseries is in Virginia Beach, VA, and has quite a number of mature trees. They have a very high-grafted Crimson Queen with a display area under it's branches. It's trunk is as big as a person's arm.

I did not leave without a couple of baby trees, but more on that later.

Laura

here are three full tree jpegs...the falls fire and the werners dwarf nade it thru 2 -24 degree nights and many around 30

here's the Falls Fire nice serrated small leaves I like this tree seems VERY hardy!!

Next Werners dwarf I LOVE THIS TREE!!! I also have the Werners Pagota byut I left it in too much sun ...I am tryiong to complete my collection with the Werners Little Leaf..almost inpossible to find but I will prevail!!

here's another it's just syarting to get color and had NO damage whatsover by below freezing weather ...a winner!!!

Heres my full color Aconitifolium...Gale took a bunch of these but can only find this slighly blurry one sorry

Green cascade in alnost full color

Hubbs Red Willow even brilliant now that it is crispy although this was taken before the worsrt cold ...does VERY well in wind as does the ZFalls fire Aconitifolium znd Green Cascade!!

Aconitifolium close up full color

My personal fav. Aconitifolium closeup

Green cascade close up almost full color

Hubbs Red Willow red in spring to fall this is pre crisped photo I can't wait til it grows a bit the last one sorry I took up so much I will post some full color photos of my Werners unless it gets hit in the nest few days by super cold ...I have NO idea what it will look like as I said the werners series is phenominal!!!!

This message was edited Nov 10, 2007 10:38 PM

Love the aconitfolium too, David. Great pics, thanks for posting them!

Laura

That's interesting about Acontifolium holding onto its leaves longer--I didn't know this. We had Hurricane Noel last week, and big winds on the Cape today, but the color continues on.
Edited to add; ignore the dates on the photo--my camera needs to have its dating corrected. I took this photo two days ago.

This message was edited Nov 10, 2007 11:42 PM

Thats a pretty old tree...I think in general the older the tree as far as JM's the better they take just about everything nature brings...the Aconitifolium may be an exception in that even younger trees seem to be "strong",...I also think most trees( that arn't fast growing trash trees) including Jm's take several years in the ground before they really take off proving again probably the most impotrtant part of of the JM growing process is getting a good root growth therefore starting with a bigger tree with an established root system is VERY important especially in borderline JM areas ...Of course any such statement must be tempered with what happened last spring when many smaller trees closer to the ground where they stayed warmer did a "bit" better but older trees also seem to bwe more in sinc with weather patterns after wexperiencing them for several years and that may help also David

Impressive collection David....these aconitifoliums are really growing on me. To think, I had a source for these a few years back but have not seen them in 4 years. I'm kicking myself now. My Bloodgood has a few leaves left but thats it. All my potted JM are set into the ground for the winter.

Thanks for the explanation, David. That makes sense. I put this particular tree in two years ago, when it was already a good size.
Interesting that you say that the Acontifolium may just be a strong tree. Below is a photo of a younger tree that I put in last Fall (2006). It too seemed to weather the recent nor'easter winds without losing leaves.

(edited to say that you can see that I temporarily staked this one because of the forecast of 85 mph wind gusts.)

This message was edited Nov 11, 2007 8:41 AM

Yes this has not been a great year for color ...it was just too dang warm in sept and Oct and then just as stuff was starting to turn we has low to mid 20's for two nights ...Supposedly you need 2 weeks of lower 40's to mid 30's at night to bring on color we just didn't have that ...I don't think the dryness helped either. If we don't have any REALLY cold weather I should have a few more shots ltr next week and that will be it. All the pics shown have been great my favs have been Daves ( da other one) 30 year old Green Cascade PHENOMENAL!!!!!!! and the older Aconitifolium by Cape CodG...FABULOUS!!!! i also liked zone D Waterfall...and Doss's trees speak for themselves...
Todd I would also look into Green Cascade it seems to also be wind resistant and VERY hardy it is always suggested for nothern climates Da other "Dave" David

What is it you like about the Werner series David?

As to the aconitfolium holding onto leaves, mine very often stay on all winter - although it's sheltered on the eastern side of my house and gets no wind.

Beautiful photos every one.

I don't know about those temperatures David. Mine would probably never go colorful if it required that kind of cold to turn them their fall colors. What do you think?

Needed Temps may differ if your season is long enough IE your Aconitifolium just changed mine started several weeks ago...I think it was an overly broad statement on my part ...but around here with disiduous trees that is the general rule of thumb since generally the average frost date is oct 15 and killing frost date can happen any time after that so if you habve warm temps in sept and Oct you are NOT likely to have them continue much longer thus no color before freeze ...since you never get nearly as cold I think if we had the same season here we would naturally get color in Nov or even Dec whereas visa versa you wouldn't...


I like both the Werners ...the Pagoda has a pagoda liker growth pattern with areas of groqwth up the trunk like a pagota andf can be trained to look like that even more if you wish ...the leaves are small and pretty ...it is a 'thick" tree not wimpy...the dwarf is similar but longer branched and has very pretty serratted leaves close groupings kind of a combo of a dwrarf and larger tree...both have a very specimen look about them... I think the pagoda will have more yellow rust fall color ( mine got too much sun so I don't know this year but next I will protect it a bit more ) the Dwarf looks to be red fall color and I should have photos soon ...amazingly it hasn't turned yet and showed no damage at all from 2- 20 degree nights whereas Even the Aconitifolium was hit and it is about 15 ft. away and also has tree canopy cover ... I really don't know there is just something about them...David

This message was edited Nov 11, 2007 12:03 PM

Thanks David. That makes sense. This year I've had really good color but the fall has been very mild. That fits into your reasoning quite well.

The Werners sound beautiful.

This is not the only JM to hold its leaves longer, and not the only tree to do so although it is an unusual characteristic.

Laura

I have to take all of the leaves off Koto no Ito in the spring too. It's not going to be too easy when it gets bigger.

Here's a photo of aconit. I can't get on a ladder though so I'm going to have to get the tree man to fix it this January. I used to be able to keep up with keeping it small in the summer.

Looking up through a seedling.

Wow, what stunning color!
I planted a omure yama hope it turns out like yours!
Need to order a sherwood flame, gorgeous... Cant find any around here though.

Your pics make me excited for spring and helped give me an idea of which maples to choose from for fall color...

Breathtaking

Todd_Boland,
What is the red plant you have planted in front of your Omure yama? Love the combination of color...