In the backyard we have a green Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) growing right up against the house. It was already here when we moved in 14 years ago and has growth tremendously since then. In fact, we prune it quite aggressively every year, otherwise it would make it difficult to walk out the sliding glass door on the left. Personally, I would have planted the tree a little further away from the house, but I’m glad we have because it provides a nice green accent.
It started to leaf out a couple of weeks ago and should be in full leaf in another week or so. It’s also flowering, but unless you look closely you’re likely to miss the flowers. I think they’re actually fairly attractive up close.
I don’t know what cultivar it is; I doubt it’s anything fancy. It’s an upright form with grayish green bark and “regular” leaves, i.e. not dissected.
If I had more room and patience, I would start collecting Japanese maples because I do love how they look. But at least we have our “plain” tree, which I find very beautiful even though it doesn’t have a pedigree.
Now you've got me missing my green 'Seiryu' Japanese maple that I had for just a year before it died. =(
ReplyDeleteThe early-leafing of these trees (here) is what makes them risky -- late freezes can wreak havoc on them. Love, love, love them though.
Whenever you see a small JM specimen you like (that's reasonably priced), buy it, stick it in a pot, and grow it for several years before you need to repot or put in the ground.
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Alan, I did buy a small JM a few years ago. I keep forgetting which cultivar so I always have to check my records...it's a 'Crimson Queen', one of the threadleaf types. I rescued it from the Lowe's bargain bin a few years ago. It's been in a pot since then.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice specimen Gerhard! There are so many beautiful types/varieties of Japanese Acers out there and I could easily be tempted to collect as well if we have the space.
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful! I have half a dozen Japanese maples, but I can't identify that one. All I can say is that it doesn't look quite like any of mine, or the species. By the way, you may want to try trimming that stub back closer to the branch collar (but not too close) so that it can callus, which it won't do the way it is now and it's a bit vulnerable to disease. But those close-crotch prunings are really tough to get right...
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