Thanks for your feedback Xman. I'm agree with you, this summer was a lot milder than previous years, but still all my planted JMs (around 7) suffered scorch leaves during august mainly. Probably, part of the cause is due their first season in Texas hot weather, plus the normal planting stress and the adaptation to their new places. Part of them were impacted with full sun at noon (I planted some trees around JMs but they aren't enough higher yet in order to protect the JMs from direct sun. However, I feel lucky because all of them shown amazing grow in branches and sprout new leaves last two weeks with excellent bright and deep color of the leaves. Due this experience, I had been keeping the rest of my JMs in containers for the same reason. They also shown some leaves burning but they were by far much less damaged that the planted one's. So I'm waiting to see them during fall color for first time. Recently, I added to my collection several more cultivars in different sizes due the fact that some Garden centers have 70% discount price. I found very good 5-7 gal. specimens (5'-7' tall), for only 24 to 36 bucks, so I couldn’t resist to buy them, and now I have 27 JMs. I’m still interested in some cultivars (probably my next “headache”: the A.J. Shirashawanum Aureum, a Full Moon and Autumn Moon, due the extreme care required for them in our weather. Like you, I will wait until November to buy them. I hope your JMs are thriving well in spite of that little mistake during your move. I hope to see the Moonrise pictures. Nelson
One caveat about keeping them in containers. They will often go for years in rather pot-bound quarters but when they get really pot bound the only way to save them is to get them in the ground, fast. I almost lost a fairly rare one and wasn't sure it would come back until this Spring when it was just fine. Shirasawanum will certainly burn unless you can afford it some shade, but around here (much cooler than Texas) we often put it out with a fair bit of exposure anyway as it looks so nice and the late season burning doesn't hurt the plant, it just looks unsightly.
You’re right Bill, but that’s the big dilemma: put in ground or keep them in containers. Both ways have their “pros & cons”. Due the fact that this is the first year with my garden (it barely has five months since construction), most of the trees/plants that I planted aren’t very high or “bushy” to provide a good sun shelter for JMs; so I prefer to keep some of the JMs in pots until I can decide the perfect spot for them and avoid the hot summer. Always I’m keeping an eye for pot bounding, and I already made “re-potting” of most of my JMs in containers in a bit bigger sizes. Fortunately their roots were fairly well. Certainly Vancouver is a better place than here to grow the AJ Shirasawanum. Nelson
