Hello! I am looking for some advice. I am looking for a high worked (drooping branches at top of stem) Crimson Queen acer and have unfortunately not been able to find any. However I have been offered a Tamukeyama whcih I have been told is almost identical. Can someone please confirm for me how alike these trees are in terms of how they look throughout the year, how hardy they are and how tall they are likely to grow. I've also been told that the high worked Tamukeyama I'm being offered has been gratfed which means it may not grow any taller than the 5ft it currently stands at. Is this true and if so is it possible to get one of these trees that is high worked and has not been grafted so that it may grow taller. I would appreciate any advice as I am a complete novice. I orginally looked at the Crimson Queen because it looked perfect for a small Garden growing to 3m max and was hardy up to -20c and had really nice foliage. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I have both types of trees, and the Crimson Queen I have is taller than the Tamukeyama ... but that may have as much to do with how it was pruned and staked as the nature of the tree itself. To my taste, the Tamukeyama is prettier; darker (almost purple) leaves that are holding their color better during the summer, and a very graceful form. Either one will grow higher than the graft; some branches will arch upward, and develop further arching branches from there. From what I've read, they'll both reach 6-10 feet in 10-15 years. Either tree should be beautiful!
“High Working†refers to the graft being done high on the rootstock rather than near the ground. The graft can be at 24†to 60†or higher. Both ‘Crimson Queen’ and ‘Tamukeyama’ will be grafted. How high they were grafted and how they have been trained or staked after grafting and for years to come will be the major difference in the final shape of the tree. ‘Tamukeyama’ is a darker color
