Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'

I just had to add this photo of my Aureum after a nights rain on the 4th July 2020. I didn't want it disappearing in the 'Cheering ourselves up with maples' thread. Hope you agree !!!!

 

Photo today 7th July 2020, after 4 days of very strong drying winds. A Shirasawanum doing well in these conditions !!!???? What a year.....

 

Raindrops in Summer on my Aureum, I'll let the photo speak for itself.
Photo 19th July 2020.

 

Hi D, we have no rain here in the last three weeks. I am envy with you.
Such a beautiful color, it is so difficult to keep them look like this in Jul/Aug here. Cheers,

 

@Atapi, good morning S, nice to hear from you, the colours this year are quite amazing on the Shirasawanum's, glad you enjoyed the photo.

 

The one I bought a couple of weeks ago is OK, but I went back to the place I had bought it. There were a few left. They all had the grafted branch of Aureum, not looking so good, and lots of long branches from the rootstock, plain Acer palmatum. What a disgrace ! I had to queue at the cash desk with my mask, it was hot, I had steam on my glasses, so I didn't bother to tell them, but I regret it now.

 

@AlainK, good afternoon Alain, doesn't sound like a nice experience at all.
It does seem a lot of Garden centres have not looked after their stock this year, but I suppose they do have the Covid excuse.
How is your Aureum coming along?

 

As I said, it's "OK". I'll take pictures later...

 

Here it is before "slip-potting". Mind you : photos can be deceiptive : it's only 35/40 cm high. the leaves are quite small compared to the one I had before, but it must be because of the "environment" - age, pot, soil, exposure (in full sun from 9 to 5), etc.

 

@AlainK, deceptive or not, 'I like it'. Also those are beauties behind it Alain, I love the trunks and the pots are so shallow.
Just a few years and you will have the new Aureum looking just like they do.
2023 and we will all be druling over it I'm sure !!!

 

I have been asked by several people to keep this regularly updated through the Summer. So here on the 28th July 2020 is my small Aureum.

 

31st July 2020, an update as requested. It's still holding it's colours.

 

Early August pics



lone shaft of sunlight in deep shade

 

@wind-borne, I love those soft colours G. The 3rd photo was caught perfectly.

 

I just had to add my Aureum this morning 9th August 2020, after seeing G @wind-borne beautiful colours last night, I thought another continent and the colours of mine would be great to compare. No competition, just different. But G still wins hands down on the photos.

 

Yours is looking good and over a month ahead in coloration judging from your pictures.
If there was a competition you would win as my leaves began in late April, far later than yours I presume.
Anyway, mine is still pushing up a few leaves at the moment.

 

@wind-borne, good afternoon G , but I bet you will get the beautiful Autumn colours when mine will be curled up brown leaves.
I will post mine here whatever they look like. I might not look as I'm doing it but I will post them, Lol.
Yours is looking very good indeed, almost Spring like colours G.

 

14th August 2020, rain at last here in England and Oh how my Maples needed it. Just over two weeks until Autumn starts here in the UK and the colours are rapidly changing.
Trying to take as many photos as possible to keep up to date with the requests.
At last my colours are changing towards those of G @wind-borne Aureum. Will it last and give an Autumn show!!?? We will know in a few weeks, but for now I will, enjoy.

 

Doesn't Autumn begin on September 22nd?

 

@Margot, one never really knows these days, lol.

 

LOL, as in shooting in lower light instead of sunshine. Those last 2 pictures of yours feature the same leaf, right.


Here is an early morning shot similar to my last picture posted which was in bright shade.
I don't think the leaves themselves have changed much.


To add a little variety, bright shade on a lower branch same day and time as previous post. 8/10

close up

 

@wind-borne, good evening G, yes the same leaf. I tend to to take all my photos very early in the day as I'm bit of an early bird.
Aureum lends itself to many different light conditions for photos. I think that's why we all love this one.

 

The pictures posed on this page of the thread look like 'Autumn Moon' to me. 'Aureum' I never see with a bunch of bronze and orange summer tinting. And I do often see it with sun burn even in partly shaded positions.

shirasawanum autumn moon - Bing images

 

15th August 2020. I thought I would add my 'Aureum' this morning, more to show the colours than anything else. This has been an exceptional year for the Shirasawanum's, they are the most susceptible to environment changes than all my maples. My Moonrise and Autumn Moon have also been exceptional this year.
Several of my friends who have 'very' large JM collections have all seen the same effect on their Shirasawanum maples this year. (Highly coloured). Sadly they will not take part in the UBC forums, even though I have tried to persuade them. So no photos I'm afraid.
I have had discussions with scientific friends and family and one point that was raised was the lack of pollution during the lockdown in the Spring. England is the most populated country in Europe, so the lockdown reduced pollution greatly as there were very few cars on the road. Hampshire where I live, is extremely busy due to it's proximity to London. Perfect commuter country. So the change was most noticeable.

 

Not referring particularly to this thread, but I wonder how much we are fooled by digital cameras, regardless of how we espouse #nofilter. Many may not realize it, but modern cameras impose a color profile on us which changes depending on lighting conditions. They do tend to make everything look quite saturated, even without any photoshop/gimp type tweaking after the fact. My OnePlus phone is particularly guilty of this. Of course at times, the imposed color adjustments serve (as perhaps intended) to give a more realistic representation. Personally I do try to get it as close as possible to my perception, but can't always be bothered to take the time required.

These photos I took today with my old Canon camera, which is more honest than my phone anyway. I noticed before that 'Aureum' is quite colored, although in a shady spot. Many other shirasawanums are simply burnt or have lost their top leaves altogether. Some of the japonicums (like 'Emmet's Pumpkin') are a very dark red from the sun. It's curious to see what really difficult years can do to the maples.