Cheering ourselves up with Maples

Discussion in 'Maples' started by Acerholic, Mar 19, 2020.

  1. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @AlainK, 'that is beautiful Alain', it looks so cool, even though as you say it's not. Gardening can sometimes be an illusion , something you have achieved with merit. 'Love it '.
     
  2. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    Photographing can be an illusion.

    ;0)
     
  3. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @AlainK , I'm sure, but there has to be a creation first and that you have done in buckets IMO. 'Again, I love it'.
     
  4. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    That's very kind of you. ;-)

    I won't post pictures of some parts of my garden which I pompously call "my jungle". Those of you who've never scavanged in junkyards and dumpsites from an early age would just be horrified... ^^

    Back to maples now, please ;-)

    Still amazed how two seedlings from the only Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' can look different.

    The tall one, 1m30, small leaves, green smooth bark :

    acershir-sem3_200527a.jpg

    The slmaller one, 50 cm, big leaves, brown creased bark :

    acershir-sem2_200527a.jpg

    PS : the distance between the tip of the pinkie and the thumb is 19 cm, when the fingers are extended, 24. "Un empan", a "span", an old unit of measurement, practical for measuring something roughly. And for me "une coudée", a "cubit" is 50 cm. Typically the post-war generation when kids like me had enough to eat, and I was raised in the low mountains, with lots of organic food and fresh air, not like an Egyptian in 2,00 BC
     
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  5. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @AlainK , maple seedlings, don't you just love them !!!!
     
  6. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    As I've already said as a movie fan, "Maple seedlings are like a box of chawklets, you never know what you gonna get..." (or smthng)
     
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  7. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    Lol !!!!!! And what a good film that is, by the best actor in Hollywood IMO.
     
  8. wind-borne

    wind-borne Contributor

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    Though curious, the deer seem to leave the bamboo and maples alone but cannot resist flowers and vegetable gardens.
    DSCN0506.jpg DSCN1530.jpg DSCN1531.jpg
    Nibbling on fuchsia.
    DSCN3126.jpg

    The squirrels and chipmunks are plentiful yet seem content with the offerings of the firs and pines that line 2 sides of the property.
    Hubbs Red Willow dwarfed by a couple firs.
    fir.jpg

    Yesterday evening when I checked in, 'Autumn Moon' blushed.
    DSCN8163.jpg DSCN8173.jpg
     
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  9. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @wind-borne , Hi G they maybe a pest to us gardeners, but the photo of the fawn is so darned cute.
    Glad they leave your maples alone.
    Autumn moon, what can I say, a lovely maple indeed. Bet it cheered you up when you looked at it. It has me.

    Great photos

    D
     
  10. Nik

    Nik Generous Contributor

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    Hi AlainK,

    I have never checked the pH of the soil in my yard. Most of my front yard is heavy clay, I suspect acidic because Rhododendrons and Azaleas are doing great in it (I do not have many of them, but all neighbors do). To my surprise “Japanese maples” are doing quite well in it.

    However, where I plant most of my maples, seedlings included, it is a different story. In the rock crevices, there is a top inch of dried oak/red maple leaves or moss, then a 10-15 inch of very organically rich matter, and under that is a deep layer of rock bits/sand (almost like a building material ) which seems to be always moist. It is unbelievable how much moisture rocks can hold, even in zesty midsummer weather. Anyway, the maples love it.

    Acerholic, the black bears are not a major concern when it comes to maple destruction by brute force, I am much more worried about the snapping turtles that climb our yard and lay eggs. They are like tanks that can destroy anything in their path... And very skilled diggers.
     

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  11. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @Nik, Hi Nik, in England we worry about a bit of frost, wind and other minor things re our maples.
    You have put it all in perspective, Snapping turtles Wow.
     
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  12. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    Turtles ? My...

    Next, alligators ? Tigers, and lions and bears ? LOL

    I can't compete, here in my garden there's always at least one hedgehog, lots of birds, an occasional rabbit that has lost its way.

    My son has found a turtle, the small ones we can have here, Hermann's tortoise, probably escaped from a garden for they live in much milder, Mediterranean climates.
     
  13. emery

    emery Renowned Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    Well here's some cheer that's back to the original topic: maples leafing out in spring. The Acers pentaphyllum, seedlings I have been growing for 6 years or so and planted in a grove last fall -- in an attempt to establish an ex situ breeding center for this rare and critically endangered species -- are now coming into leaf! What's more, all 4 plants are leafing from the twig tips; this is always a problem for pentaphyllum which is very prone to dieback. (I have a grafted one elsewhere that died back quite a lot over this winter. Who knows why, it wasn't exactly cold). So here they are, about 2 weeks earlier than normal. (Another very late plant, Populus glauca var jacquemontii, is also into leaf now, probably 3 weeks early.)

    I include also a picture of the little one that @AlainK sent last year, which is doing great and I hope will someday join the grove, the 46 Pterocarya I pricked out into pots today, and the first of this years cherries!

    So all cheery, and no alligators. All those deer freak me out though. I already talked about damage to the Wedding Cake tree, they've gone crazy on a bunch of other Cornus also. Samantha chases them away a couple of times during the evening, but they're clearly not that impressed. And they certainly love maples too...
     

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  14. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    I went outside to see if I could take a decent picture of my best Acer pentaphyllum, but flashlight doesn't make it right.

    So I went back inside. Windows open, still 24° inside at 23:33 , and gradually, silence outside ...



    ;0)

    Time to pick my guitar now :-)
     
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  15. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    Good morning, how to follow that from Alain, lol
    As heat was mentioned, I thought I would add my JM that survive the ever increasing temperatures we seem to be experiencing every year.
    These are the ones that do fine in the sun in my garden. Mainly the disectum's. These are my 10 best that cope well in my garden.
     

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  16. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    I've put these two on a different post as I dont want to confuse with the ones that definitely do well in sun in my garden. They are Orangeola and my new Garnet Garnet Tower, I will evaluate them this Sumner to see how they fare and post in the Autumn to update.

    I also have a friend with Inaba Shidare in full sun all day long, that does extremely well.
     

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  17. zfrittz

    zfrittz Rising Contributor

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    Spectacular, as always.
     
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  18. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore samaras this morning very close to my house.
     

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  19. zfrittz

    zfrittz Rising Contributor

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    Queen's Walk. Fuente Vaqueros. My people
    These are pseudoplatanus maples



    [​IMG]
     
  20. zfrittz

    zfrittz Rising Contributor

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    Pseudoplatanus in fall.

    [​IMG]
     
  21. emery

    emery Renowned Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    @zfrittz are you sure? From the bark they look like Platanus x acerifolia, the "London Plane". These are often referred to as "Sycamores" by Americans, further confusing the issue. Platanus × acerifolia - Wikipedia

    @Acerholic I love the red samaras on our sycamores. When they stay red, the tree is called Acer pseudoplatanus var erythrocarpum. These occur mixed in wild populations, and there are several around here. I hope yours is one too.

    Here's a maple I never notice until this time of year, because it is only the flush of leaves that show variegation after a green start. It makes a fine medium-sized Red Maple, though the autumn color is unspectacular at least in our climate: Acer rubrum 'Candy Ice'. The variegation around the edges makes it very aptly named, it really does look as though someone has sprayed pink sugar icing on it. Took these pictures yesterday.
    IMG_20200527_141531_1.jpg IMG_20200527_141602_1.jpg IMG_20200527_141633_1.jpg IMG_20200527_141652_1.jpg IMG_20200527_141758_1.jpg IMG_20200527_141831_1.jpg

    -E
     
  22. Nik

    Nik Generous Contributor

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    Spring color progression of a second year seedling.
    Seems to be very slow growing. Not sure that it is a keeper...
     

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  23. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @Nik , good afternoon Nik, I've had several like that and some took off but others after another winter just didn't come back.
    IMO a 3 year period is needed to see if they will become strong and a special tree worth keeping.
    I know a lot of people say that seedlings are not strong on their own roots, but just look at some gardens with magnificent maple seedlings decades old, with no name just beautiful trees.

    Give it another year !!!
     
  24. Nik

    Nik Generous Contributor

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    Red maple in its fall glory.
     

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  25. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    How is the heat everywhere ?? 27° here atm, I'm sitting in my garden amongst my trees with a cold drink, listening to Giovanni Marradi 'Shadows' on my headphones. 'Thoroughly reccomend it'. The music that is, very relaxing.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2020
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