Hi All! Living in western Massachusetts, with erratic springs, I am looking for recommendations on a late bud breaking zone 5 summer green dissectum, japonicum, palmatum, shirasawarum, cross, etc. Have a viridis, and an orangeola, and looking for something else... Thanks in advance! Debra Ps. First time ever, 3 palmatum in a new location got bitten by a surprise frost, and lost almost all their ripening buds, still putting out a few leaves but I fear,they are done for. Any ideas to help them now?
Hi Debra, I don't know much about growing JMs in Western MA, though I've seen some nice ones there. But recently @maplesmagpie posted such a great list on this thread Leaf retention, etc. that I'm hoping you'll find something useful there. As for your 3 that got frost burnt, there is reason to hope, and wait. Almost all maples have "emergency buds" that are dormant (and essentially invisible) until the first set of buds or leaves are killed. Then the maple will rebud -- one time only! -- and ,put out new leaves. Of course this takes a fair amount of energy, so it might not look that great the year it happens, but it does allow them to survive late freezes. Last year my entire garden was black after 3 consecutive nights at -8C, but I only lost a few maples all told. They're surprisingly tough, sometimes! Let's hope that's your case, too. -E
Hi Emery! Do you happen to know if fertilizing might help those dormant buds get in gear? I usually don't fertilize my maples, though they might get 'leftovers' from the surrounding plants. Thanks so much for referring me to that list! Best wishes! Debviolet
My sense is, it's a bad idea to fertilize in this situation. Sort of along the lines of: the patient is sick, recovering with rest, let's hit them with a wackload of coffee, pastries, and steroids! :) Better to let them recover naturally in my view. But not everyone feels this way, some do recommend a light nitrogen feed after frost damage.
