A nice change to the cascading form of laceleafs, this plant does not belong to the dissectum group. Nice strong greens in spring in summer turn to brilliant fall colors.
I bought this tree because of its twisting shape. The tree was distressed, but I took a chance. I am crossing my fingers that it comes back a little more full this year.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is anyone aware of a red leaf form with the growth habit 'jiro shidare'. I'm aware of 'oshu shidare' and to a lesser extent 'burgandy lace', but these two don't exibit very strong weeping characteristics from what I've seen. I think I prefer the look of a palmate leaf on a weeping tree, and if there isn't one I guess I need to get on the ball with some hybridizing.
Hi Matt, Good to hear you from this forum. Jiro shidare is a weeping palmatum that isn't, in my opinion, worth the space to grow it. I did have one in a display garden, but it wasn't anything special to me so I cut it down and I haven't grafted or purchased another. Sam Eastfork Nursery.
I haven't been overly impressed with the habit of 'jiro shidare' either, but I have seen pictures of some nice specimens that were pruned properly to get a nice shape. I guess more of what I'm saying is: Is there a good RED weeping palmate tree out there? I would personally like a little courser textured weeper to go among the delicate fine textured dissectums. 'Ryusen' (or 'ryusei') would go in this category for a green weeping palmate, even though it's habit seems to be a bit too strongly weeping compared to what I am looking for.
Well, I don't know. For me, in my garden where I have many steep slopes to contend with, sometimes it's nice to have a green-leafed cascading maple in residence like Jiro Shidare. Maybe it's not as showy as some others (especially in the spring), but it's a graceful cultivar with a rather unique habit and it has great fall colors. On my steep slopes, it looks pretty good.
Yep, thanks for confirming my mantra - there is a maple for every location. Our Japanese maples come in all shapes, colors and sizes and can handle full sun to deep shade depending upon the cultivar. What a wonderful group of plants. What is also cool is that new cultivars are being introduced every year. Sam
Sam, I like your mantra. And yes, what a wonderful group of plants. I am always amazed at how different a plant can behave from one year to the next. I've got the full sprectrum of environmental demands and obstacles in my garden (hot sun, slopes, no light, filtered light, you name it) and somehow it's possible to find a maple that looks just perfect in each situation. And they are beautiful besides. And yep, I like the new cultivars, too, especially when they are really different from anything else in my garden...different form, leaf shape/size, density, etc. mapledia
Hi guys, I am jumping back in because I just got Peter Gregory's newest book - a Pocket Guide to Japanese Maples. A smaller paperback with 330 photos including some of the ghosts. Now I know there is an Uncle Ghost - I have got to bug Talon to get some. If you are in the Portland area, Peter Gregory will be at the Japanese Garden. There is a reception for him and yes, I want to get both of my maple books signed. Sam "The Maple Lady"
I have a copy of the pocket guide and think it's a huge achievement, very well done, and lots of gratitude should be given to Peter Gregory for this major contribution to the understanding and appreciation of maples. We're all lucky to have him involved and making sense of maple dynamics.
I have a small mystery that I'm trying to solve for a JM purchased at Home Depot recently. I have been looking for a smallish green one for a specific spot in my backyard and this one caught my eye. It is 28 inches tall, 36 inches wide, has a thick trunk (almost 2 inches at the base), and has an almost sideways but slightly weeping growth habit. It was identified only with a generic "Acer Palmatum Premium" sticker on the container. I posted this in another thread about mismarked JM's at Home Depot and another nursery near me. I thought at first it might be a Ryusen, but quickly realized that was wrong. JT1 suggested that it might be a Jiro Shidare. I think it might also be an Akita Yatsubusa or a Sharp's Pygmy. See what you think:
Still not sure if this is a JS but it's looking good this spring. It was the first to leaf out. Most of my others are still budding.
