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A Japanese maple entered my life
GLOBE AND MAIL GARDEN COLUMN
July 6, 2002
by Marjorie Harris
A Japanese maple entered my life 15 years ago. At $20 it was the most expensive plant I'd ever bought. That small tree: Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropureum' would now cost about $3,000 to replace. Every time there's a storm I want to rush out and protect it from the massive droppings from next door's weeping willow. I'd never be able to afford another and, according to my insurance company, they won't help.
Never mind. Japanese maples are enchanting plants and will make a huge difference in the garden no matter where you live. In British Columbia it's a way of establishing good autumn colour. For those who live in relatively moderate climes it's a great small tree to fill in the light shady areas most places afford. And in more frigid places, this is one of the greatest container plants you'll find.
Japanese maples have an unfair reputation of being fussy-probably because they look so special. They may not be difficult, but there are a couple of caveats for future Japanese maple buyers: don't plant or place Japanese maples out in the noon day sun. They are shade tolerant plants and most of them can be burned to a crisp in bright sunshine. If they are left in the garden make sure they are well mulched going into winter, and keep them out of howling winds. Look around at what will be coming up around them-don't let them get crowded. They have fine feeder roots and hate to have them disturbed. Verticillum wilt is about the only disease that affects Japanese maples. You can spot it when new twigs shrivel and turn black. Adding compost helps, as does aerating the soil. It's easier and probably safer just to take the whole tree out and avoid putting another one in the same spot since this fungal disease lives in the soil. Make sure any container-grown plant has a good solid root system before you transfer it to a larger container or into the ground. I had one keel over on me a couple of days after the big purchase. When I examined it closely I found, to my horror, that there were literally no roots at all. It died of course. And I haven't gone back to the same nursery since.
Once again, I will bang the drum for Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku', coralbark maple. I love this tree and, though I'd hate to see it become commonplace, it's still relatively hard to find. The coral coloured bark in winter is so intense that its only competition are the red-twigged dogwoods. In spring the delicate green leaves are tinged with pink and the autumn blaze of gold can been seen for blocks. What I didn't read anywhere is that this "little" tree can get quite large. At well over its allotted 10M it is rapidly turning into a medium size tree. But it's such a great screening plant (who wants to look at anything else behind it) that I bought a second. Obviously not for containers.
A Japanese maple in a container is a sight to behold. The container size is critical: You'll need one that's at least two to three times the width of the pot you buy the plant in. Even a small tree is going to need quite a bit of space to spread out their fine feeder roots. I have my first major Japanese maple in a container, A. p. 'Villa Taranto'. It is incredible: the fine slightly drooping leaves give it a look of water falling over rock. It sits on the deck and I wonder now how I ever did without it. This one will grow to 4M. And what to do in winter had me puzzled.
I turned to Silvio Gaudio from Mississauga Ontario. He and his wife garden writer Karen York have a magnificent garden with Japanese maples both in and out of pots as a feature. He has a laissez faire attitude to his Japanese maples that I admire. To overwinter in containers, Silvio just lugs the pots into the garage. If it snows he'll gather some and throw it on top of the soil so it won't dessicate otherwise he leaves them alone because soil pooling on the surface of these plants can rot them out. His alternative is to get a plastic pot and dig both into the garden surrounded by a heavy mulch. The pot will freeze with the ground around it.
Silvio is a superb pruner and when it comes to his Japanese maples, he waits until he can see the form in spring and starts by removing the dead stuff. He shapes the tree to enhance its form. With container plants he pretty much bonsais them, that is keeps them pruned back quite severely (which I will have to do to 'Villa Taranto'). He says "I like to reveal all their better qualities. If they cascade, I make them really cascade." Don't be intimidated, he cautions, most people err on the side of too little pruning and let their plants get shaggy hiding the loveliness of their natural growth habit. In Japan these trees are limbed up and bonsaied to show twisted and eventually gnarled trunks.
He regularly top dresses the plants with compost and uses not other fertilizer. Frankly I've never seen such a healthy looking collection (" 28 at last count"). Silvio says not to give Japanese maples too much or too little water. He'd err on the side of keeping them moist and never ever let them dry out, especially those in containers.
Delve into Maples for Gardens, A Color Encyclopedia, by C. J. Van Gelderen & D. M. Van Delderen, published by Timber Press, 1999. But I warn you, it will make you crazy with desire for more of these wonderful plants.
Copyright Marjorie Harris, 2005
CONTACT MARJORIE HARRIS
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