I have a cabin on Indian Arm, a fiord in southern British Columbia. I would like to plant some Japanese maples. The climate zone is fine but I am concerned about the shade because the mountains above the fiord block the sun for part of the day, particularly in the fall/winter. In the summer the trees would get about 7 hours of direct sunlight, but this is reduced to about 6 hours in early September, 4 hours in October/November, and as little as 3 hours in mid-winter. Are Japanese maples generally able to handle this limited amount of sunshine, and if not are there particular species that can? Thanks in advance for any help with this. - Rex
Ought to be fine: I have a few growing in conditions with less light than you describe, and they are doing well.
Rex: Welcome to the botanical garden site....it's a great place to get good info. I live on one of the southern gulf islands, and our property is substantially shaded by tall conifers to the east, south and somewhat west. I have around 30 Japanese maples, several of which I grew from seed. They are pretty much all doing well. What you might want to learn is that the very fine leaved varieties, Koto-No-Ito, the laceleafs, and that sort prefer to be OUT of the hot sun. If you can find a spot where they perhaps get morning and late day sun, they will be happy. The coarser leaf types, trompenberg, bloodgood and so on will pretty much handle anything we get here. As a general rule, you will find that the growers tend to stock those plants which do well here. But a word to your nurseryman about your specific conditions will not be out of place. Good luck with your Japanese maples. Here is an acer palmatum Sieryu. Rex: One important thing I forgot to mention. They do not like wind, especially if it is salt laden. Keep them sheltered behind a windbreak from your prevailing wind direction.
