It's always a bit of fun to see which maples are evergreen as we pass through the solstice. It's not always the same group here in the Norman season of mud. This year many maples are having a hard time getting the sap down: pruning over the last week has cause quite a lot of bleeding on sycamores and anything from Section Palmata. The Platanoidae are nice and dry though. Anyone else have any maples still in leaf? I wonder what's still green at the UBC botanical garden... Here are A. fabri, a different A. fabri, A. aff sempervirens, A. aff oblongum, A. coriaceifolium x 2, A. laevigatum, A. paxii, A. obtusifolium x 2 (with apologies for the dark pic.) Best wishes for the season and the new year! -E
All my maples have dropped their leaves, except this seedling from a batch of "mixed Acer palm." packet from the (International) Maple Society seed exchange, and until a few days ago looked green as if it was in summer. It's quite small compared to others and is in a mostly shaded place where there is very little wind : But now is the time to appreciate the colour of the bark of 'Sango kaku' : The red of the twigs is a bit pale, but it gets brighter when the temps go below zero (Celsius, below 32 F). And since the summer was very hot and dry I had to water it and the water is very hard here, and that is probably a side effect. Bi-hoo (or whatever it is spelled) looks great too : I think it's even more spectacular than 'Sango Kaku' because the branches are a pale yellow but the finer twigs and the buds are red, which gives a good contrast. I'm very glad I've been able to keep it healthy and alive for the past 4 years...
