Over this last winter the Kubota Gardens in Seattle have installed some of my trees into the garden. Here are some photos of the new additions to the garden and some beds which will get a new tree. I look forward to seeing the bed by the bridge when it is done. They just planted a Acer palmatum 'Filigree' which looks tiny but is ar from tiny. It has about an 8' canopy and 3-1/2" caliper and would be a specimen tree in most peoples garden. The Acer palmatum 'Kashima' near the front gate was one of my favorite trees from my garden.
That maple in one photo with the file name like shishio hime, looks to have a form very much like a burning bush, with the dense stems. Is that typical for that variety?
Looks like it must be a very nice garden amazing. Have a A. p. 'Chiba' with similar shape to your A. p. 'Kashima' , top graft it seems, that has been prone to heavy wet snow damage here.
That is the common shape of an Acer palmatum 'Shishio hime'. It is similar in shape to an Acer palmatum 'Kashima' (the one near the front gate) with the crowned top as compared to others which are more flat like 'Tamahime'. The 'Kashima' has had all the downward branches pruned out to show its thick trunk. The shishio hime has a nice vivid red on the leaves early in spring and then turns green. The shishio hime in the photo is huge with an 8' spread.
Chimera From my knowledge 'Kashima' and 'Chiba' are the same tree. I found one "kashima' in a nursery in Oregon which was 8' tall and 12' wide with an 8" caliper trunk. I was not able to talk the nursery into selling it. I have found with himes it is best for me to be "hedge pruned" them back every year so the snow will not do major damage. The Kubota Gardens added these dwarfs, 'Caperci's Dwarf', 'Kamagata', 'Kashima', 'Mikawa yatsubusa', Murasaki Kiyohime' and 'Shishio hime'. I was thrilled to see they added these and i hope they will add more dwarf cultivars.
