On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 00:32:46 +0000 (UTC)
NC wrote:

As Sacha said Acers can be difficult.
If you are looking at the Crocus site I suggest having a look at Acer
Osakazuki. The picture shows the Autumn colour. In spring it has a vibrant
green leaf with interesting red keys. It is a little more tolerant of wind
than the Dark leaved varieties. As a bonus it has an interesting bark.
Although it is supposedly slow growing it's faster than most . If the pay
cheque is big enough go for the larger offering, the small one is not much
better than a twig.


Thats the one I've gone for (or will).. and yes, I've also gone for thew
arger offering fearing exactly what you have confirmed about it being a
twig ! Looks beautiful, and several colleagues at work have recommended
it too.

This is a beautiful maple, and old: it has been listed in catalogues since
the mid-1800s, was on the list of 1882 and received the RHS' Order
of Garden Merit in 1993. Properly written the leading 'O' has a bar
over it, the closest I can come on this keyboard is 'Õ'. The name,
according to Vertrees, means "Saki-like cup."

As Rupert suggests this is not a terribly exigent maple, in fact it's
pretty tough by all accounts, and may put on a foot of new growth
while young. However, it is unlikely to develop its best color grown
in full shade. It will want at least a couple of hours of light in the
morning. It can be grown in full sun, with minimal leaf burn.

I am interested in the comment about the bark, as I find no
reference to any particular characteristic, even in "Maples
of the World," and can't remember noticing anything. However this
is not a plant I currently grow, so I've only observed it in other collections.

One thing to be concerned about is eventual size. Imagine that
in 30 years -- if the plant is happy -- you risk having a tree 24 ft
high and even wider. Acer palmatum doesn't prune particularly well,
you would be better off starting with a cultivar that won't outgrow
the space. (Haven't read most of the thread, so maybe you know
exactly what you're doing here...)

Always another concern with maples of all types is the source.
Most retailers get their maples from large nurseries in the
Netherlands or Spain. In this latter case particularly I have seen
some very bad cultivar examples being sold, that are not very
true to type. Sango Kaku seems particularly prone to variation,
but also the other popular varieties Orange Dream, Seiryu,
Trompenburg, and anything dissected. The solution is to work
with nurserymen (and women!) who specialize in maples. I
can give a very high recommendation to Mallet Court Nursery in
Taunton. They will do mail order, also. Another very good source
is Firma C. Esveld, who also have one of the very best web sites
for maples in general.

Finally, when you plant your tree make sure the soil is free draining
and not too rich. The manure may overload the poor things systems,
especially before it's established. I don't know what type of soil
you've got, but if it's not very acid working some peat into the plantation
might be a good idea, and maybe some sand if it needs lightening.
A little bone meal should be the only fertilizer you use, at least
during the first few years.

HTH,

-E
--
Emery Davis
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