I have bought an acer negundo flamingo. The plant label says it will reach 1.5 metres is pruned and 3 unpruned. All the books I've looked at suggest it will be much bigger. Is the label wrong? Or is it likely to be on a different rootstock? I've placed it by the wall to my house and am worried that if it does get as big as the books say that it will ourgrow its space and damage the foundations of the house. Any ideas from anyone?
acer negundo flamingo will reach much more than 1.5 meters in height. There are some old examples at riverview and they are about 6 to 8 meters in height and about 7 to 9 meteres in canopy spread. and reverted back to normal green foliage mostly, for the record.
This tree is often grown to be coppiced in order both to keep it low and to have better spring foliage. This is well explained in any book on pruning. I have two of them in my garden, both more than 10 years old, and prune them back in late winter to a main frame which is only about 1 m. tall. The yearly growth is always beautifully variegated (no reverting) and the overall size is between 1-2 meters. Gomero
Are you sure those old ones at Riverview are 'Flamingo'? I remember a variegated cultivar there with yellow-and-white new foliage. 'Flamingo' is pink-tinged when it comes out. First appeared in US trade during the 1980's.
Hi Ron, you are correct. Any time anyone has told me what they were (arborist walks etc) it seems they were told to be Flamingo but, after digging through the inventory of Riverview they are all listed as Variegatum.
I have two acer flamingo your form is trees, after six years the eigth is 5m one acer is near my foundations (1m),if the foundations are cement arm no problem ;if no : 1)you prume time to time, the roots remain small, 2)(only for expert) another method is : cut the roots near the foundations every 2 or 3 years, (after fertilize whit specific products) 3) you insert the barrier ( for bamboo) near the foundations;the last solutions is the best for me ... alex66
Label could mean in 10 years.....for garden centres and nurserymen its very difficult to choose what to put on the label......for example putting the mature height of a plant which may take 100 years to reach that size is irrelevant, although some might argue, a plant is often for future generations to enjoy...the 10 year height is a popular choice, given the average person in the uk moves every 7 years.
