Last November I planted what I thought were two Japanese maples in my front yard and expected them to be identical. Now that the season is drawing to a close, one has vibrant purple leaves (which it has all season) and the other has green leaves (which it has all season, although I believe they started out purple). I received them both from the same nursery, the shape of the leaves appear the same, but the color very different. Could they be different varieties, or could this be the soil conditions that are affecting the color of the leaves? If it is the soil, any suggestions? I certainly prefer the purple leaves...
Japanese maples exhibit more variation in colour and leaf shape than most trees, so if they are seed grown and look different, that is to be expected. If they are grafted plants of the same cultivar, then the difference might be explained by different exposure to sunlight. Many types look red/purple in full sun and green in shade. Hope that helps. If you post some pictures we could probably tell if they are the same cultivar or not.
Street tree plantings of grafted clones of shade tree maples like Norway and red maple sometimes also show some variation from one specimen to the next. There you may have dozens of propagules growing in rows and able to be compared with one another (sometimes of course a few look different because seedlings or other clones have been inserted among the original plantings).
Thanks for the feedback. I have attached three pictures, the first shows the two trees side-by-side so you can see the difference. I would suspect they get the same sunlight since they are so close together. The last two pictures are close ups of each. I can't imagine they are the same cultivar...thoughts?
Yes they seem to be different cultivars, and both nice. I don't know if this name 'Heritage Red' is supposed to represent a clonal cultivar, or if it is a more general term perhaps applied to seed-grown plants from a particular parent tree. It is not one I am familiar with, perhaps it is a regional thing. If they are not grafted trees, maybe they were sister seedlings, they look very similar apart from the colour.
Ask the place where you bought them for background information on the name and on the stock you bought.
