Hello all, hope you are well. I’m in the early stages of brainstorming exactly how I want to set up the garden around the house we moved into a year ago, and there is one spot I’d like to reserve for a very contorted, twisting, pendulous maple. If you could only choose one to fit my description, what would you go with? The early leader is ‘Germaine’s Gyration’
Among green ones, my favorite is probably 'Emerald Lace', but maybe bot so "twisted". (other pictures here : https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/acer-palmatum-emerald-lace.2894/) 'Hana matoi' is a variegated one that I like a lot. This one is "twisting". But although there might be genetic characteristics, I think that the twisted form could also be a consequence of age : the tip of young branches die, and axillari buds then develop. Not sure of this, but...
Its quite different to most pendulous forms..It’s a monster..will grow very wide.mine has been containerised all its life and is currently in a galvanised bath..it’s grown to 8ft x 6ft in 10 years..not very tall maybe 3.5 ft .sun tolerant, nice colours all year..nice leaf..The Cascade series are also very nice Ruby and Citrine you could house 2 or 3 of those in the same foot print..just mentioning whilst you are in planning mode
Germaines gyration for sure , then beni hagoromo a very pendulous tree/bush both of these with good colours. Added a couple of pics of mine in containers , do have another germaines in the ground though. Both of these have enough length in the branches for staking out and shaping or re directing , will be doing this with the germaines in the picture after the fall when i slip on into a larger pot.
My one is also very upright 2.5m but I did see one in a nursery a while back that seemed a bit different with long leggy branches and short internodes
