We have a very small back yard but I think we are set on getting one focal point tree. I wonder if any meet these requirements... - 10-12' would be perfect, not to exceed 15' - upright - not super dense leaves - Fall color overall orange. Can have reds, pinks and yellows but overall more orange - Summer color celery (lighter) green or red/purple - Not XL leaves - I think would look odd with such a small yard - would prefer light grey whitish bark but dark bark ok too. Don't like green or coral. Anyone have any ideas? So far the best contenders that I've found are Hogyoku, but seems like it could get too big. The ones I saw at the nursery today were already a bit too tall yet looked young. Also Aconitifolium tho would prefer a little orangier in the fall and more light green in the summer. These too can get big. Also saw some Atropurpureums that seem to fit the bill, but some had orange fall color and some did not so not sure.
Welcome to the forums. My 'Hogyoku' has green bark in part shade. Acer palmatum 'Hogyoku' The photo gallery might be helpful. Acer palmatum cultivars (photos)
Acer palmatum 'Koto no ito' stays within bounds, has a delicate appearance, and amazing orange fall color. Stewartia pseudocamellia tree form stays shorter than the multi stem pillar form, has small leaves, and great fall color. If you are willing to venture outside of Japan then maybe consider Acer griseum.
Seiryu has the color and leaf density you are seeking and would be within the width limit. I have one that was about 5 ft. when I planted it 12 years ago and is now about 9 ft tall and wide. I've seen some much older that are probably in the 15 ft scale but books suggest that in native areas they can live over 80 years and reach more than 15 ft. Another upright dissectum recently introduced is English Lace and has a beautiful, see through, shape and seems to be a slow grower. I'm attaching a photo of my English Lace as I believe pictures of them are not common.
Two pics Sekka Yatsabusa then a Mirte , the later which goes through three colour changes during the year , spring choc brown leaf then olive green in the summer then finishing on a blazing orange in the fall. The Sekka fills your criteria to a tee though.
Thank you so much for your replies and suggestions! I see some really beautiful trees I will look into. JT1, question for you. You said the Stewartia Pseudocamellia grows shorter than the multi-stemmed. I actually saw a stunning SP yesterday at a nursery but when I looked it up, it says grows to 40'. That would be too big of a tree for us. Do you think they typically don't get that tall? Btw, I grew up in Cleveland, first in South Euclid as a young child and then Mayfield area :)
Short answer, no. Stewartia pseudocamellia will not reach 40', that is the height of the genus but pseudocamellia is much slower and shorter overall rarely reaching 20' in a very old tree. The information out there is very misleading. Now the long answer. Height restrictions can be impossible given the variables of site conditions and the longevity of any given tree is unknown. No standard is set in determining the posted height, some use a 10 year estimate, some use the height of the genus while others use the species and or cultivar. In the case of the 40' height, this is the known height of the species Stewartia. With in that you have Korean Stewartia for example also called by the common name Tall Stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha). This is not a good fit for you as it becomes very tall and large! Here is a list of many Stewartia to see the various species and a few named cultivars as an example: plant lust - seriously simple search for plants Stewartia pseudocamellia is a gentle soul. Within there are a few cultivars selected for their unique form. The habit plays a role in selection. Some are grown as single trunk tree form. Some are grown as multi trunk vase form, while others are grown as single stem with multiple upright branches in a pillar form. When each form grows, the overall form suggest how quickly it will gain height and width. Most tree form are slower and the direction of growth is split between height and width. Branches growing around 45 degrees 4" a year will gain roughly 2" of height and 2" of width (roughly) whereas a tree with strong vertical branches may gain 1" of width and 3" of height as a tall and narrow pillar. I have seen very old Stewartia pseudocamellia (70 years old) that are under 20'. Most are very old multi trunk under 15'. You may find in some micro climates where they reach 20'. But keep in mind a tree no matter which one you pick will always grow, may suffer set backs in it's life, or may never see 20 years based on the life challenges and environment. If you have a lawn fertilizer program that exposes the tree to synthetic high nitrogen and frequent irrigation, your tree may grow faster, but usually lives a shorter life and is more prone to storm damage (fast growth equals weaker branches no matter what genus, whereas slow growth is more dense and stronger). If that lawn program includes "grass safe herbicide" your tree will be much shorter lived and will eventually be weakened to the point of sudden collapse at some point. But if your Stewartia is allowed to grow gracefully, given some attention during establishment and drought, and provided a organic low nitrogen slow release fertilizer it should grow slowly and provide year round beauty and interest, while staying in bounds of your size requirements. It's a small world running into someone that grew up so close by. If you ever plan a trip to the area, send me a private message and you are welcome to visit our garden, our many Japanese maples and our Stewartia! I have always had a special place in my heart for Stewartia. I have wanted a Stewartia to add to my collection of Japanese maples and conifers for a long time. I finally added one a few years ago and now wonder why I waited so long! Watching the tree go through the seasons in awe, I now love them even more and feel that every garden should have one. Here is our little tree, a picture taken yesterday (photo does not do it justice). I look forward to the trunk thickening to show off the beautiful bark. Fall color starts light orange and over a few weeks gets brighter orange with the colors of a sunset. At peak orange-red with some pink hue. It's near peak in the photo but just keeps getting better with each day.
Thank you JT. They sure are beautiful. I wish I had more room in our yard for one! Thank you for sharing all that information and photos. Stewartia wins most beautiful bark in my book.
Maples is a must in the collection of a bonsai enthusiast, but in Japan they also have outstanding specimens of Stewartia (monadelpha?), most of the time displayed in winter exhibitions for the viewers to appreciate the work on ramification and the beautiful bark. See for instance the one displayed at the 2016 Kokufu-ten (scroll down a bit on the page): https://bonsaitonight.com/2017/01/06/finding-go-resource-need-learn/
Stewartia pseudocamellia have the showy bark. I posted a photo of the bark of S. monadelpha at UBCBG: June 27 - Today's features, and more, in the Asian Garden (posting #15).
Yes, they tend to use the Korean version because it is more dense or shrub like making it more suitable for bonsai, giving you better branching and denser foliage. The leaves are narrower, shorter, and darker green, smaller flowers too; lending monadepha more desirable in bonsai. They are also called orange bark and grown for the bark color. The bark of monadepha does not flake off in big peices like pseudocamellia, probably another ideal bonsai characteristic of monadepha. I found this helpful resource that discuss some of the difference. Stewartia Leaf comparison: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/sites/plantid7/files/plantimage/st-mo-ps5.jpg Flower comparison: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/sites/plantid7/files/plantimage/st-mo-ps6.jpg Here is a rare cascading form: https://pin.it/3iKiQyC My favorite: https://valavanisbonsaiblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/224.jpg
Thanks Wendy, that article mentioned by Ron B was interesting , too. http://www.arboretumwespelaar.be/userfiles/file/pdf/080600_Stewartia Plantsman published.pdf It says that "The east Asian species generally perform better in cool maritime regions, whereas those from the eastern U.S. require consistent summer warmth." That would seem to go along with what the Stewartia have done here without fertilizers. 20-25 year old trees, a S. pseudocamellia, two S. p. Koreana, and a S. sinensis are 25-30' (8-9 m.) tall. A 15 year old S. rostrata is only about 12' (4 m.) tall, 2" (just under 1 cm.) caliper, and has yet to bloom. Maybe it's in a poor location. They do seem slow to get established and like their roots moist and shaded, but tops in sun.
Thanks for sharing! It is very well done. I uploaded it here in the event the webmaster removes the PDF or moves it to another page in the future, which may render the link useless.
I've fixed that link three times, looked good, but then on refresh it kept breaking before the end. I think it's good now (when we no longer need it).
Glad you found them interesting! One more Stewartia tangent and then I'm done. :-) Here is a good example of Stewartia monadepha. You can see the orange bark and the dense branching that would make this variety good for bonsai, minus the fact that this individual tree was grown with a tall trunk. Anyway, minus the tall trunk you can see the potential of this Stewartia variety for bonsai ;-). I hope to create one for my collection! Stewartia monodelpha
