Hello all. I have a question for you. What is your favorite deep red cultivar and why? I know that I would like an exceptionally deep red, almost black-leaved cultivar, but I'm having trouble deciding. I thought I would go with a lace leaf, but I'm tempted by "Nigrum" which is palmatum. Also thought about Diccectum Nigrum but am afraid I won't get a true cultivar. Have had Inaba Shidare recommended, but really wanted something deeper red. Help! Thanks. Jalf
I assume that your tree will be in full sun. There are many cultivars that are red, deep red and black red are often two different criteria. Looking at those I have, the blackest red I found is Koriba. The pics below were taken in June/July.It retains this color through the Summer. In Spring the color is a lighter red. For deepest red, I could agree with Alex on the 'Yasemin' or 'Gloria', two Esveld's selections. 'Nigrum' could also qualify. Gomero
Monrovia and others grow 'Nigrum' so that is on the North American market. Don't know about the Esveld selections. http://www.monrovia.us/PlantInf.nsf...5684d0070268d!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,nigrum
Aekan Ie's is also a possibility for a thread leaf option (I know you didn't ask for that). I'm not sure how it compares in depth to the other options. David
i agree with all the previous comments. I find Red Filigree Lace about the darkest dissectum. It is a slow slow grower. Also, Nuresagi is almost purple black. For deep reds I second Alex's Fireglow and also Moonfire (bluish red) and Red Emperor. Good luck!
A lot depends on which shade of red we have the most interest in wanting. Do we want a black red, purple red, maroon red, red red, pink red, bronze red or bronze black red. Representative photos online or in books of each of the above color combinations are hard to find. It forces us to know which Maples do what, where they will do it and for how long in a growing season year after year to know these things. I do like the Koriba example shown by Gomero, makes me wonder how extensive his collection is now. Many thanks for posting the various photos of your trees. Nigrum for a palmatum has a dual meaning in that there is a black red form called Nigrum and there also is an Atropurpureum Nigrum (bronze red) that came out of Europe. Dissectum Nigrum has been around a while also and yes, Ever Red is a selection from the Nigrum group of dissectums. So is Wada's Nigra a Nigrum group Maple, the parent plant from which Red Select came from. Oregon Garnet did come from Inaba shidare but one Maple is an Atropurpureum and the other is a Nigrum group plant. Both the Atropurpureum and the closely related yet different Nigrum group of Maples will show the pubescence in the Spring. Two dissectums that I feel do not get enough due credit for color are Shojo shidare and Beni shidare. Hard to find the true form plants nowadays but when we do see one of either we will appreciate them a little more. I miss having both of them but I can still see them in a nearby private estate garden. For Fireglow, Fire Glow, FireGlow and Effigi, it depends on which form we like best and are more used to seeing available to us. Personally, I like the Bush plant the best for year round color. I have to agree with Nuresagi as the good sized Iseli plants I saw come into a local nursery two years ago were the best plants I've seen of this Maple ever offered by anyone. Made sure a cousin of mine got one for her collection. Have not seen the Munn plants in a while but their form of Nuresagi should be the same as Iseli's. A darn good red Maple for in a landscape planting. I like Wolff's Moonfire (Nigrum group) for in a landscape. The Shojo group Moonfire out of Canby, Oregon, has wonderful Spring color with the black red but is a little too fussy about our growing conditions here. Looks super most of the year in Oregon however. I like Sherwood Flame a lot in a landscape. May not hold its red color throughout the year where I am but in Oregon it is a special plant. One Maple that does hold its red color well for us here is Suminagashi and another Maple that most people would not think would do so well for us that also colors up and holds well in the growing season is Otome zakura. Color is not everything, how these plants hold up in a landscape or when grown on in containers is far more important. All of the Maples mentioned are worth having but some are tougher to grow than others. I like the old Shojo Maple for a black red and I especially like the Goddard Ruby Lace which is a Nigrum group dissectum. Not to be confused with the red red Filigree Lace, Iseli/Baltzer Maple, erroneously called Ruby Lace by the mail order nursery to first offer it for resale, which to me is far better a plant than Red Filigree Lace is in a landscape. Another red dissectum that I've learned to appreciate more and more is Michikugawa but not many people have ever seen this Maple that was introduced to us in 1994. Another plug for Iseli it seems, is that their Red Dragons, the 5-9 footers they have been offering to one local nursery are absolutely to die for. I've not seen better examples of those Maples offered anywhere and that includes seeing them in New Zealand where they originated from. Jim
