Cheering ourselves up with Maples

In years to come M ,what will we be saying about 2020, apart from the obvious!!! So many unusual colours and the Shirasawanum's in Autumn colour in the Summer etc etc. So much to talk about or possibly forget !!!!

 

It was a beautiful and warm in J.C. yesterday while visiting my pregnant daughter and son-in-law. There were lots of gorgeous fall trees and I didn't really try to identify them all but just enjoy them. There were a couple of outstanding Ginkos on the way back but I didn't shoot them. I spent a lot of time feeding the sparrows surrounding us during lunch with bits of bread. Great day...

 

@dangerine49 lovley to hear J, sometimes you just have to sit, look and enjoy.
Wonderful news coming to you in 2021 with a grandchild or is it 2020?
Hope Harry doesn't get too jealous !!!! Lol.

 

Thanks. Actually we should have news very soon! Harry can't wait...he loves meeting new people.

 

Mikawa has been a mantis magnet. I found the same one still hanging out days later and then I found another on the Shishigashira.

 

We had a huge mantis hanging on the back of a Jetta at my VW dealership on Saturday.

There's a wonderful JM in my neighborhood that I pass by almost everyday. I've been waiting for it to turn so I stopped to take some pics today. I had some trouble with the framing and exposure since the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see what was on the phone. As I was shooting the owner pulled up in her car and asked what the hell I was doing. When I explained she asked if I wanted to buy it. I think I would have to buy the house too.

 

That is a beauty J, wonder how much it would have cost. Mega $ I would think!!! Has the appearance of Ornatum.

 

'Hubbs Red Willow' had lost about half the foliage last week which lent individual leaves a more prominent setting.

Yesterday in the wet morning and dry afternoon.




This morning at -2˚C/ 28˚F, margins lined with frost. As the sun rose half of what remained dropped so I am officially finished for this year!!!

 

I have no corroboration for this but I have heard from way back that it is far better to root cuttings in a 'soil' mix than in water. As I can recall the argument was two-fold; first that the roots in water were water-logged and weak and second that those cuttings were more easy to damage in the transition from their water environment to the real-life soil or substrate.

Hmm. Since writing the above, I have found a couple of supporting websites such as: Starting Cuttings in Water: Not Such a Good Idea.

It's not that cuttings started in water necessarily fail but more that it's not the better way to go for any cuttings. In the case of maples, it seems failure is likely.

 

Good morning G and what a year it has been. If that's you done then all I can say is a big thankyou for helping making this thread such a happy place to visit. I for one will look forward to seeing your maples in 2021.
But don't forget to add a few now and again in the Maples Winter bare bones thread.

 

Just went out for a walk and decided to see how our friends Emperor 1 was doing. This was planted 45 years ago and even though our friends sadly passed some 10 years ago their beloved maple is still giving pleasure to the new owners of the garden.
So the moral is, when we plant a tree to give us pleasure, just think about the enjoyment they will give long after we are gone. I know our friends would be so pleased to know this is still there.

 

Nice to catch up here, and see the cheering still going on! Especially as many of us are back into confinement, as we are here, where the virus is again very active (more so than before actually).

No cheerful spring leaves, but I did just receive a terrific batch of maples from England, almost the last I expect to get before the dreaded deadline:

A. calcaratum x2
A. coriaceifolium
A. okomatoanum (I have been trying to get this for at least 20 years!)
A. lobelii
A. forrestii
A. pictum 'Shufu nishiki' (some say a synonym of 'Akikase nishiki', others disagree. We'll see!)

All well-sourced seedlings except for 'Shufu nishiki' of course.

I have some pictures of our little Acer sempervirens for @monicasanchez , as promised at the end of the season. It has grown a huge amount, and looks as though it wants to be evergreen. Not marvelous pictures as everything here is being put away now, but a very happy plant.

 

@emery good evening Emery, yes the deadline is only 51 days away Lol. So it's great that you managed to get the trees you wanted and especially the A. okomatoanum. Look forward over the years to seeing you post them looking fantastic, especially in your garden.
Everything is closing down here also with Autumn colour, which is a shame as they are needed atm more than ever to give everyone some cheer. We are only in the first days of the second lockdown, but due to the shorter days seems a little more depressing than last time.
But hey ho !! Spring will be upon us sooner than we think and we can all post our lovely new leaves once again.
Keep safe.
D

 

No tree pics to share today but I do have good cheering up news. My daughter gave birth to a baby girl this morning - Maggie Reese!!

I knew the baby's name was going to start with "M" since my wife's deceased parents were Marilyn and Manny and my son-in-law's father was Marty. Interestingly, I got a notice recently from Sooner Plant Farm about some available trees and one was a Magnolia. I had been thinking about adding one to the mix and the M thing was too much of a coincidence so I ordered one to arrive in April in Maggie's honor.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeres Maggie:

 

Maggie is gorgeous. Congratulations, Grandfather!

 

Congratulations J ( Grandad) Maggie is gorgeous. You said it was soon but didn't realise it was goiing to be that quick Lol.
And a Magnolia in her honour, 'fantastic'.
You have just posted the best photos on this thread all year !!

 

@dangerine49 Wow what a beauty! Congratulations to you, the parents, and the whole family!

 

As J @dangerine49 has cheered us all up today with new life, I thought I would add my little Acer palmatum 'Okushimo' that has sprung into life after losing all its leaves in September. Not as cute as Maggie by a long shot btw..

 

Rooting in water is very difficult since the roots do not develop due to lack of oxygen.
To root only with water you need sterilization, temperature and oxygen, if any of these parameters are missing it will never root and if it does it will be so weak that it will die in a short time.
I advise you to read this thread. Cloning of maple cuttings in hydroponics

 

@dangerine49 , what a precious girl, my congratulations, to the grandparents and parents, now to enjoy her growth and teach her the love for maples. Congratulations on the best photos of the thread.

 

Thanks everyone!! My wife and I picked up our kids and Maggie in NYC and drove them home to NJ today. What a cutie pie. She's tiny, about the size of a decent hydrangea leaf.

On the JM front things are getting serious now. The Ariadne is finally green no more.

 

This is a quote I will remember - capturing how families pass on traditions from generation to generation.

 

@dangerine49 good morning J, wonderful photos of your maples and of course of Maggie. What a coincidence our son was born on the 10th November, but in 1979 so I will certainly remember your little cuties birthday each year. He got Covid on the 10th, what a birthday he had !!!
Have a great weekend J, I bet Harry is very curious!!!

 

D, so sorry to hear that your son has Covid. I hope is doing OK and wish him a speedy recovery.

Harry hasn't met Maggie yet and may not for a while. But he did see her on FaceTime and licked the phone!

J

 

@dangerine49 thanks J, him and our daughter in law are going through it together ( they both tested positive). More like a bad flu they said today. As both in their very early forties with no underlying health problems hopefully they will be fine. Our daughter and son in law both had it in March and that was quite bad. Took weeks to get over it.
Glad Harry liked seeing Maggie on Facetime, she is going to love him as she gets older. Expect you will post a photo of the two together amongst the Spring maples next year !!?

Hope you all have a great weekend. What am I saying, 'of course you will'.