I planted Fullmoon 'Aureum' and 'Atropurpurem' last spring and they are currently just slightly swelling buds so assume it would be a better now than wait situation if moving them is the best solution. I have read so many sources and there seems to be a lot of conflicting info so before I mess up I would love input from maple pros. :) please I just impulse bought a Coral Bark 'Sango Kaku' and it has made me realize I may be able to improve on my original placement for the other 2. All 3 places are mounded good soil, all zone 6. I will list the 3 spots and I would love input. 1. Full east, west, north and south exposure 2pm on. some wind relief as a house is 40' behind(north) it. I have a ginkgo golden spire beside where that would go so my eyes want to see the 'Atropurpurem' in that location but I am not sure if that is to much sun. My mind thinks 'Sango Kaku' would do best here as it is the most sunny location... purple and ginkgo green foliage is just making me question if that is true. :) 2. Mostly north but in the am is in Eastern sun till the sun moves diagonally over my house by afternoon. Currently have 'Atropurpureum' but was thinking of moving Fullmoon 'Aureum' since it is more shady and that bright light chartreuse would really pop. It is at the corner of a covered deck and an eaves drains at its base so while it is sort of on the edge of a slope it benefits from more water. 3. very light morning dappled from behind a birch tree. South exposure 2:00 till about 7 but as the tree would get taller it would be till night fall. I currently have FullMoon 'Aureum' and it looked good last summer but I was thinking as it gets taller that location might be too exposed to the sun. Was considering putting 'Sango Kaku' here. We get quite humid here in summer (southern Ontario) some stretches of temps around 86f/30C( but there is almost always a breeze. Thankfully being urban the wind force in amongst the houses isn't terrible in the back yard. Thank you for anyone who can guide me here.
Hi, When you say "mounded soil", I hope that means you are mound planting, not mounding up soil around the trunks. Is there are reason for mound, planting, e.g. is your native soil particularly poorly draining? Otherwise, planting in unamended native soil is always best when possible, for optimum water movement, without mounding, which makes it more difficult to establish. To cut a long story short, your Atropurpureum will likely do best in the full sun spot, loc 1. Next for sun is 'Sango-kaku' (pls note romanization, it means Coral Tower in English), but cold winter winds coupled with sun can damage the bark -- your summer temps are fine, you don't say about winter, but if there's deep snow, that always helps -- and the Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' (I guess you mean) is the most delicate. It is very slow growing, the birch only provides light shade, and afternoon shade is what's important. All JMs tolerate morning sun well, so if you're saying loc 3 gets sun from 2-7pm, I wouldn't site the 'Aureum' there, I'd put it in loc 2 with afternoon shade. More detail than you wanted: The cultivar 'Atropurpureum' doesn't really exist in North America, it has become a group of similar plants. So detail on performance of any particular one is difficult to gauge. However in general they do well in full sun, and it's not unusual to see very large and healthy ones in that situation, in similar climates to yours. Acer 'Sango-kaku' (Red Wood Group) -- or often Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku' -- is a very old Japanese cultivar that has also become widely diluted, meaning there are many version on the market, which behave somewhat differently. Whether the original version of the plant exists at all in the West is difficult to say, though there are some multi-centennial specimens in Japan. Several nurseries claim to have the authentic plant, but they can't all be correct. Finally, "Fullmoon Maple" refers to Acer japonicum, but is widely misused, especially in the case of 'Aureum'. That's because it was sold (and recognized) as a japonicum cultivar for a long time before being recognized as a cultivar of Acer shirasawanum. The species are similar but shirasawanum holds the samaras upright, which you'll see if yours lives long enough to flower and make seed. Good luck and HTH, -E
Thank you so much emery! I love the history of the misused names, and multiple places claiming to have the originals. Very interesting. :) Re: mound planting I kept reading recommendations to plant on a mound to ensure drainage. Fortunately in my garden the 3 spots just naturally are located at the edge of a gentle grade/slope so a functional mound, while not created by me I mentioned it because it does ensure drainage. This is partly why I posted here. The internet is full of so much bad information but seeng all the gardens posted here I figured you guys were the ones to ask. :) I appreciate you mentioning it too as I had been wondering if my locations were "mounded" enough or I should actually add soil. I will leave it as is. Fortunately we have good soil. Greatly appreciate the input. I have moved the two from last year and have the 'Sango-kaku' waiting for the last frost to be planted in the ground as it came fully leafed out. Wow that is some strikingly red bark!! I ordered it online and just picked it up. I am stunned I had never seen one in person and expected it would be colour wise like a red twig dogwood, but wow this is almost a carmine or crimson amazing. :) Thanks again!
