Nice. Very similar in shape to cultivar shirasawanum, but greener. Just curious: why it's called 6910? This is the only cultivar (until now) that is named with a number. somebody knows why? Is it more resistent to sun/hot than shirasawanum aureum? Nelson
Hi Nelson, usually, a number indicates that it is not a named cultivar yet. MJH - I like the color and the gloss to the leaves. What is it's story? Katie
Thanks for your clarification, Katie. Do you have some JMs? There are some Texans here trying to grow these beauties in our hot weather. (And the key word here is "Trying"). Nelson
HI Nelson! I admit I noticed you were in Houston and said a little prayer for your maples! It's a tough row to hoe with maples in Texas, but it can be done - especially when you love them! I do have a maple collection - currently around 80 cultivars, all in pots. I can't wait to settle in somewhere and create a maple-scape. :) For now, because of all my moving about, they have to stay in pots. So far, so good...Most are little. I am from Austin and fell in love with maples years ago. I planted many of them in my customers' yards when I was a landscaper in Central Texas. I finally started my collection with a 'Sharp's Pygmy' that I bought from MountainMaples.com around 1995. It is the oldest maple in my collection and has survived Texas heat, Florida hurricanes, being smashed by a fallen tree in a Conroe rainstorm (back in TX again), and most recently a move to the Eastern Shore of Virginia! It's an amazingly resiliant little tree, for sure. My maples LOVE Virginia and are thriving. I confess that my collection has more than doubled since living here! In Texas and north Florida, I stuck to buying mostly shade loving green, or heat hardy red cultivars. 'Waterfall', 'Attraction', 'Moonfire', 'Viridis', and 'Crimson Queen' were particularly happy, no matter what hot southern state I moved them to. 'Sango kaku' is a tough character too. It seemed to always thrive and demonstrate great gains in size, despite looking WICKED fried come July and August every year. 'Tamuke yama' and 'Orangeola' were always beautys too, if only a little crisp by late summer, as I recall. 'Fascination' is another great one. 'Red Dragon' was even holding his own there for a while, until I managed to kill it with salt laden irrigation from a water softener! Many survived this 'Katie' induced torture, but 'Red Dragon' did not. Heartbreaking! As you can tell, I made many mistakes with my early trees, but once I figured out how truly important drainage is to maples, I messed up A LOT LESS FREQUENTLY. :) My tricks for container maples in Texas include: keeping them snug in their pots (right size pot for the tree), using humus rich soil and ensuring GREAT drainage (to the point of potting them in amended cactus mix!) so they can be watered every day to cool the roots in summer, keeping the pots shaded - even when the tree is not, and ONLY using organic fertilizers and amendments, especially Maxicrop seaweed with iron. That stuff saves lives, I tell you what! :) Growing them in the landscape is a little easier than trying to sustain them in pots, but it is still something of an art, nonetheless. I am glad you are there showing Texans that it can be done! Hang in there and always focus on your soil. Study it. Test it. Lavish it. Love it! That's the key for me anyway. Do you have any favorites in your landscape? Which one do best/worst for you?
Hi Katie, Thanks for share your tricks & prayers. I have been in Austin several times, it’s a very nice place to live and visit again and again. Certainly you really moved around! (I'm trying to figure out how to move 80 JMs in containers without damage them...fantastic effort, no doubt!). I also had to move several times due my job (oil &gas), and finally, landed in Houston almost 4 years ago so I hope to stay here for a while. I already include my personal experience in the thread "Addicted to Japanese Maples", but to short the history, that’s my first year with my new passion: gardening and JMs. Currently I have 27 JMs, some in ground and some in containers. I found most of them in only one nursery close to my home so practically, I got at least one each cultivar that they were selling. Among the Sango kakus and Seryus, I have some Atropurpureum, Bloodgoods, Shaina, Viridis, waterfall, Oshio Beni, Burgundy Lace. I like to expand my collection to several other cultivars but I will get by internet because there is not much offer here in the nursery. I love the Shirasawanum Aureum and Autumn Gold, so I plan to buy some specimen during fall/winter season. I can’t finish this narrative now; but I will hope to continue with this soon, but for sure I will put your advises in practice. Thank you, Nelson
You're rigth, Katie, JMs are very tricky with the soil and moisture. Due the fact that it's their first season in this location, I'm learning how to grow them, I'm continuosly checking the JMs, and the soil conditions to see how they perform; making "small adjusments" during the process. Growing them in pots for me it's easier than keep in soil, because I can move and keep the soil moisture in control. In fact, I had to return two Atropurpureum seedlings to the pots due hot sun exposure and soil conditions. Now they're recovering very well in partial shade. So I following your advice: I'm studying, testing and lavishing them, and in the process I'm learning more about these fantastic plants. My favorite Cultivars? It's really a tought question! When I like the cultivar Sango Kaku, so I got three of them, (actually I added one more), then I saw one spectacular specimen: A.P. Waterfall, and was amazing, (again, I have three of them), Same thing with a big Oshio Beni, and Seryu, Burgundy Lace, Shaina.... every one has it's personal attraction, but probably my favorite will be (when I find it) the Acer Japonicum Shirasawanum Aureum and it's cousin: the Autumn Moon. Now, I just have some pictures of this cultivars but sooner or later I will add one or two for my collection; even knowing that will be a challenge to grow them here. I hope you're recovering from your broken leg. Best wishes! Nelson
