Haha, that was a joy in itself. Each roll of that fencing is 2m long, weighs 35kg, and I needed to drag eight of them into place to finish the whole garden boundary. I'm a woman in my thirties so not the biggest or buffest: pure Yorkshire cantankerousness got that fencing up more than I did, I suspect. (Thank you!)
Well done Xi, as we have all learnt over the years, it's not just the maples, but what you put around them that also counts. My wife says 'kudos' to you BTW.
Everyone loves this bad boy in Autumn, but it's one of my favourites for the subtle colour changes all year long. Mine is already getting a nice pink flush of new growth, and some of the older leaves are getting subtle shades of rust and purple:
26th May 2021 and slowly but surely my Osakazuki is coming back after all the damage a couple of years back. Not there yet, but on the way thank goodness.
My big guy is hidden away around the side of the house so I don't see him as much as the other trees - it's always a nice surprise when I catch a glimpse and remember just how pretty he is:
I do like a garden that has hidden surprises, so your Osakazuki is perfectly placed Xi. And what a red glow in Autumn to look forward to.
That's interesting Xi. I have seen a few friends maples that are turning towards Autumn colours already. I think it's a sign of stress that was talked about in April when everything was late to leaf out due to all the frosts and now the heat. Do keep us all updated?
Yep, it's that good old British weather putting everyone and everything through the wringer -- my big Osakazuki is putting out a few strange almost autumnal leaves in places that don't look like new growth, so who knows what's happening there? Let's all keep one another posted!
My Osakazuki is still the runt of my maples this season. However, it’s not dead so this is good news. The new growth is very pale looking though... should I be concern Acerholic? I did experience a lot of branch dieback last winter.
Good morning Connor, most of the leaves are looking as they should for Spring on Osakazuki, but the ones you are talking about are suffering from too dry conditions, together with hot afternoon sun. Maples are thin leafed trees and it takes very little to scorch the leaves. You may well get some die back on those branches and those leaves will go crispy and drop, but IMO as long as you check that the watering is correct, then you should get a second flush in a few weeks time. But don't give any feeds etc. I can't see the base of the tree, but if you don't have a mulch, then do consider doing this. I have found over the years that Osakazuki really does benefit from this. Then give it a good soaking once a week, or even twice if your weather conditions are very dry and hot. Next year, make sure you water in March/ April when it is trying to leaf out. So many maples suffer at a later date if they are too dry during this period. D
14th June 2021 and my Osakazuki is starting the second flush already. Not sure how it will cope with the very high temperatures today, but we will see.
Mine, like other "green" maples are already showing red tinges, a sign they're suffering from the heat ?...
The stress is definatly showing there Alain. Hopefully the rain coming in a couple of days, along with slightly cooler temperatures will revitalise it.
Storms are forecast in the night of June 16th. I'm not sure there will be that much rain, you never know with "stormy weather", it can pour like hell for 15 minutes, or nothing but thunder in the distance...
My big lovely guy got very sun-scorched and almost all the leaves fried, which is so sad when I look back at the pics I posted back in May... it's not down for the count yet, though, and is putting out some new spring-coloured leaves: On the other hand my little guy has held up well all year, and is starting to turn towards copper tones and autumn:
I noticed a wound on my Osakazuki today, it’s farther up the tree, well above the graft union. Im wondering if I should be worried or just let it do it’s thing?
The base of this branch looks thinner, and weaker than the top part. There may be a risk of it snapping in case of strong wind or snow. If it doesn't ruin the design of the tree, I would probably suggest to prune it. What's more, it looks like it's the result of either a wound, or cuts, that didn't heal well or some kind of fungal infection (or both).