Does anyone know if the 'Aureum' can survive the summers in California's Central Valley? It gets pretty hot in July...
There are both A. palmatum 'Aureum' and A. shirasawanum 'Aureum'. Think both do better with moist cool roots in the summer and will fry in hot sun. in shade they will be greener.
I find A. shirasawanum 'Aureum' (ASA) to be more sun resistant than A. palmatum 'Aureum' (APA). With the APA it is a bit of a pain to find the right spot with just enough sun to get the yellow colors and not too much sun to avoid severe leaf burn. Maybe in BC or in Wales the task is easier, but here in Southern France it is more trying and this winter I have moved it again to a shadier position. My advice for Colby Trio would be indeed to try ASA in a place with morning sun only (up to noon or so) and make sure the ground is well mulched a not too dry. Gomero
Yes, would agree with your advice, but not familiar with his growing conditions. The required placement of both Acer cultivars here is very similar to your location, it seems they are fussy. ASA does not give the nice fall colour here that i'd expected, maybe in time or i learn how to grow them better.Not sure if they were grafted on A. japonicum or palmatum rootstalk as they came from New Zealand before they were easily available here. Maybe A. japonicum rootstalk would work best in a warm climate. He may be wise to find some growing in his area to observe. If he's growing them in pots , or does so for awhile, it may give him a better idea of how to handle them. His plant source may also have some suggestions. Worth looking in "The Maple Photo Gallery" and possibly searching this forum.
Very tough to keep A.J. Aureum alive in the Central Valley. Confirmed this with an area JM nursery this week. In fact, the nursery no longer orders the plant for this reason. On the flip, I have kept an A.J. Acontifolium and A.J. Vitifolium alive in pots for a year. They are presently leafing out. Modesto has a special kind of heat during the summer, so I suspect it is even more difficult than the rest of the SJ Valley that receives more delta influence.
