Post by calen on May 1, 2017 23:27:50 GMT -5
These aren't bog plants, but I thought I'd put them up on here anyway since they are gorgeous (IMHO) and deserve to be more widely cultivated! Some of my favorite trees ever are in the genus Acer, section Palmata. By far the best known species in this section is the Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, but here are three that you don't see every day. All three have crazy bright fall color in reds, oranges, and yellows - often in the same leaf.
Acer japonicum is mostly native to Japan (duh...) but also found in Korea. It has large, full, delightfully creased leaves with shallow teeth. It requires a bit cooler climate than the adaptable A. palmatum, so one of the first things I did when I moved from CA (a little too warm) up to OR was to get myself my very own A. japonicum. Psyched! This guy is about 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide at the moment, but will probably reach 2.5 times that with maturity. This is my second season growing it, and it is establishing really well. Look at this foliage!
This shot was taken last week before the tree fully filled in:
Next up is Acer pseudosieboldianum - waaaay easier to just call it by its common name Korean maple! It is, shocker, from Korea and is a delightful small tree with shallowly toothed leaves and a beautiful overall presence. At the tree farm where I bought all these the owner Don met with me to walk around and pick specimens. Since I was all into this kind of maple he took me over to see a big ol' row of these. He said "hey this one has a damaged leader - it's yours for 5 bucks." I was like "hell yeah!" and snagged it. Totally perfect since the tree is an underplanting for a mature crabapple and I wanted a spreading form anyway! Here's the "damaged goods" heading into its second season:
Last but not least is the super-underrated Acer circinatum. The only member of section Palmata found outside of Asia, A. circinatum is found in western North America from British Columbia as far south as northern California. It thrives in the cool, rainy PNW climate and you will see these used around here as a "freeway plant" on medians and embankments. It is a multi stemmed tree or large shrub depending on how you prune it, and as a forest understory plant it forms sprawling thickets hence the common name of vine maple. Here is my young specimen tucked onto the north side of my shed (pro move: placing the maple in the cool microclimate there, feet away from the Sarrs where it would fry!)
Most maple flowers are inconspicuous but those of vine maple make an attractive contrast with the fresh spring leaves:
Acer japonicum is mostly native to Japan (duh...) but also found in Korea. It has large, full, delightfully creased leaves with shallow teeth. It requires a bit cooler climate than the adaptable A. palmatum, so one of the first things I did when I moved from CA (a little too warm) up to OR was to get myself my very own A. japonicum. Psyched! This guy is about 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide at the moment, but will probably reach 2.5 times that with maturity. This is my second season growing it, and it is establishing really well. Look at this foliage!
This shot was taken last week before the tree fully filled in:
Next up is Acer pseudosieboldianum - waaaay easier to just call it by its common name Korean maple! It is, shocker, from Korea and is a delightful small tree with shallowly toothed leaves and a beautiful overall presence. At the tree farm where I bought all these the owner Don met with me to walk around and pick specimens. Since I was all into this kind of maple he took me over to see a big ol' row of these. He said "hey this one has a damaged leader - it's yours for 5 bucks." I was like "hell yeah!" and snagged it. Totally perfect since the tree is an underplanting for a mature crabapple and I wanted a spreading form anyway! Here's the "damaged goods" heading into its second season:
Last but not least is the super-underrated Acer circinatum. The only member of section Palmata found outside of Asia, A. circinatum is found in western North America from British Columbia as far south as northern California. It thrives in the cool, rainy PNW climate and you will see these used around here as a "freeway plant" on medians and embankments. It is a multi stemmed tree or large shrub depending on how you prune it, and as a forest understory plant it forms sprawling thickets hence the common name of vine maple. Here is my young specimen tucked onto the north side of my shed (pro move: placing the maple in the cool microclimate there, feet away from the Sarrs where it would fry!)
Most maple flowers are inconspicuous but those of vine maple make an attractive contrast with the fresh spring leaves: