I'll give the first of an occasional series of cultivar profiles here today. There are an ever changing number of cultivars in the trade. Many of these are only available in small quantities and in only in some countries.
Bloodgood is one that is universally available.
As the majority of Maple cultivars are grafted plants, simply because it is the only way to guarantee the consistency of the type, there will always be the potential for the understock of the graft to sprout forth and try and take over.
At this point most people would say you need to talk to an "expert" or go to the library and read about them or jump on the internet and find out how its done.
All reasonable advice but I have a far better way that is low cost and low risk which will show you just how easy it is to grow these most marvellous of trees either in the ground or in the pot.
I have been toying with the idea of trying to grow a Japanese Maple or three almost hydroponically just to see what the growth rate would be.
Japanese Maple varieties do NOT come true from seed. It always galls me when I read that this isn't the case because it is frankly wrong.
If these marvellous trees did come true from seed we would have many many more cultivars to choose from.
Japanese Maples practice, perhaps practice is the wrong word, but they constantly adjust their canopy according to how the seasons are progressing. This means that if the tree makes the decision whether to maintain a branch, twig or shoot depending on environmental factors and how well its growth rhythm is functioning.
Many new maple varieties come into existence because people sow Maple seed. Some Japanese Maples set seed more readily than others.
Often times people miss the Maple flowers completely. This comes as no surprise because the Japanese Maple hides its flowers away under its leaves and at best they are a greeny yellow so they are easily overlooked.
In summer 2007 I came across a Dutch company on the Internet who retail a vast range of plants across Europe. Amongst their range is one of the most comprehensive selections of Japanese Maples I have ever come across. They offer a range of sizes and best of all they do not ship any trees until the Autumn.
The short answer is none. The long answer is none whatsoever!
There are two routes for you to go down to get a guarantee that is worth something.
This is a question I get asked all the time often from gardeners who have far more experience or knowledge than I do but the answer is always the same YES!
A maple canopy is like any other tree canopy it is a superb umbrella. True some of the rain is channelled down the leaves, leaf stems, twigs, branches, trunks down to the roots but most of it actually runs off away from the tree.
The short answer is yes!
It's all in the Latin you see. Over the years when horticulture was rapidly evolving there was a need to classify all plants so people anywhere in the world would know what's what. The pioneer plantsmen could have come up with a numerical system of naming or all manner of written descriptive titles but a near dead language, Latin, fitted the bill perfectly.
Black soot is an apt description for this disfiguring mold. The reason for the soot being on the maples leaves has nothing to do with bad husbandry or lack of care but unfortunately it has everything to do with a certain insects bodily functions!
When a previously healthy Maple suddenly collapses into death, dieback or sheds its leaves at an unnatural time of year the probable cause is the obnoxious Vine Weevil.
These insects are quite large at 1/2 inch or so long black and are the classic weevil shape of a rounded body and a long snout and feelers.
This time of year is usually the time that you will encounter Maple leaf burn. This always occurs first at the very tips of the leaves and these take on parchment colour.
This phenomenon is indicative of a water transport or water storage problem which can be rectified in many ways.
