On Thu, 23 Feb 2006 12:28:50 +0000
Sacha wrote:
On 23/2/06 10:36, in article , "Emery
Davis" wrote:
On Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:07:51 +0000
Janet Tweedy wrote:
In article , Sacha
writes
Whoa! Please tell me that the Japanese Maple is not going to go in a spot
that is windy? They're incredibly fussy about that and about being wet at
the root, too. Cold winds, in particular, are very bad news for them.
These are not easy plants, beautiful though they are indeed.
I've lost three to wind burn and also to too much sun! They are
temperamental in the extreme as I know someone who has one growing at
the end of the front garden on a slope in full sun and wind and that
one's fine. Maybe some species aren't so vulnerable?
Hello Janet,
I'm don't doubt Sacha is far more experienced with these, being in
the business, but since she may have missed your post I thought I'd
jump in.
My husband is the one with the real experience. I just married him six years
ago. ;-) But yes, I did see Janet's post but didn't think I had anything to
add to it. There are bound to be cultivars that are less 'fussy', though I
don't know which they are, myself. All I do know is that if we get any
Japanese maples brought back, it is always because of too much wind burn and
over-watering. But *always*. We've had one or two customers who absolutely
swear they haven't over watered, so Ray lifts the poor thing out of the pot
and it is dripping water all over his feet!
Well, you're still better equipped to comment than I!
I am certainly
no expert, but I have made a little study of maples, much to my
wallet's -- and my wife's -- regret. (Every time I show up with a new
maple, Adele exclaims something along the lines of "and where are
my lilacs?")
For sure, wet feet is the number one problem with palmatums. Our
soil here, surrounded by peat bogs, is hardly ideal; so planting out
requires a good amount of soil prep and _really_ big holes. Not
to mention the pulling out of enormous rocks. But once established
they seem pretty happy.
Of the hundreds of cultivars of A. palmatum there are many that
are tougher than others. Until established they are all difficult,
though, and your experience of losing 3 is by no means unique.
In general the green, unvariegated varieties (not yellowish) do
fine in full sun. There is very often a cultivar that will be more
amenable to sun and a little tougher, or smaller or whatever.
An example is using 'Eddisbury' instead of 'Sango Kaku'.
We have Sango Kaku on a corner near the fishpond and while it's a sunny
spot, its also windy at times. The tree is now about 5' tall and has taken
a little damage from the wind but nothing enormous and has come back quite
happily. I had one against a wall in my Jersey garden which had bright red
stems in winter and the brightest possible golden leaves in autumn. I never
did find out its name but Ray thinks it was Sango Kaku. I am not at all
sure of that, myself. To my memory, it was brighter in all its parts than
that.
I guess Ray probably knows his business! There are other maples with
bright red wood that go yellow in fall, like A. x conspicuum 'Phoenix', but
I can't think of another in the Palmata section off hand. Sounds like
maybe it's just a very good Sango Kaku.
Typically the dark green leaved varieties burn less than the red,
but there are red ones that do fine in sun (and a some wind),
like Bloodgood or Chitose Yama (english or european/japanese
version).
Constant maritime wind is impossible for them, so
in very coastal areas shelter is not an option.
I grow mine in more or less exposed positions, depending on
cultivar. I live on a hill crest and it is very windy at times,
but the seem to do well enough. One thing I've found is that
they take better if the size is at least 60-80 cm. Very
small I pot up for a couple of years.
The bible of the species is "Japanese Maples" by J.D. Vertrees
updated by Peter Gregory. It's a very good reference and
well worth having. There is an appendix in the back that
lists -- by cultivar -- final size, time of interest, light requirements,
etc.
This is obviously something you know a great deal about and I wonder if you
could take the time to list the cultivars that you grow in the windy areas.
I think that would be very helpful to have in the archives because it's
remarkable how often questions about these lovely trees arise.
Again, I don't present myself as any sort of expert. But here are the
"japanese" maples I grow by exposition. Which is not to say these are
the best situations, just what I've ended up with.
In full sun, full wind:
A. palmatum 'Okagami'
A. palmatum 'Shojo'
A. palmatum 'Chitose yama' (japanese version)
A. palmatum 'Mirte'
A. palmatum 'Sango kaku'
A. palmatum 'Shishi gashira'
A. palmatum 'Seiryu'
A. japonicum 'Vitifolium'
A. shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon'
A. pseudosieboldianum
A. buergerianum
In half or less sun, at least some protection:
A. palmatum 'Higasa yama'
A. palmatum 'Orange Dream'
A. palmatum 'Villa Taranto'
A. palmatum 'Aka shigitatsu sawa' (if it lives)
A. palmatum 'Ariadne'
A. palmatum 'Beni tsukasa'
A. shirasawanum 'Aureum'
A. rufinerve 'Winter Gold' (? time will tell)
A. rufinerve 'Albolimbatum' (Hatsuyuki kaede)
A. pictum 'Hoshi yadori' (takes wind)
I am interested in many other maples but that just about rounds
out the "japanese" contingent. In context of the thread I will almost
certainly plant both 'Bloodgood' and 'Õsakazuki' in exposed situations
specifically because they have the reputation of being trouble free.
Although I've been looking I have yet to find very good specimens
of either at around the 1 m size. Maples in general are a real
pain in the rump to get in France, mostly do to the arcane tax
laws that prevent nurseries from keeping stock.
The above vary in size from young to about 12 ft. The exposed ones are
all established except for pseudosieboldianum, which I expect will
be trouble free. (There, I probably just killed it...)
Anyway, I hope the above list may prove useful to the adventurous!
-E
--
Emery Davis
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