This maple has really caught my eye recently, I'd like to get one. Just a question about placement here in S.W. British Columbia. Will the yellow foliage always need some protection from full sun? I haven't actually seen any in landscapes to get a feel for their preferences...the only plants I've found are at Cedar Rim...and they are quite noticeably blemished from the recent heat wave. Also, why aren't these trees stocked at all nurseries, is there something negative I haven't heard about? Esp. leafing out in spring, they are strikingly eyecatching... Glen
Hi Glen, First try searching this and other online forums for Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'. This is the tree most typically sold as the fullmoon maple you are talking about. That will give you better results as far as opinion and comment. This maple will need protection from the hot or direct sun and wind after late spring or as summer approaches. I was recently told by Robert from MendocinoMaples that with some of the lighter colored shirasawanums and japonicums that if we can get them good sun in the spring, we will see better color overall. With this approach, we would have to be growing and moving a potted specimen. For a tree in the ground, it would depend on exposure and intensity. The most rewarding color will be protected from the intensity of direct sun, but not shaded. If we put the tree in a western or soutwestern exposure, then we will need to shade it by noon. If we can get the opposit exposure, we can give the tree more sun. It is one of the more delicate shriasawanums and will burn or scorch. I am not sure of the light intensity etc. in your area, but consider this a tender cultivar and compare it to other plants with a low tolerance for sun in your area. If you look at this thread: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6393 You will see the Aureum I still have in full western exposure. It is potted, but has pretty much reached its max tolerance. In a few weeks, when the temps reach the 80's regularly and the light intensity increases, this tree will be toast if I don't move it. What the location is showing is how we can stress this tree to bring up some of the orange coloration that you will not see in the shade. What I would do with it is put it in a good sized pot and either insulate it inside another pot or dig the pot into the ground and try a few locations. As not to ramble too much more, if you read the rest of the threads on this tree, you will find that it has a reputation for being fussy and hard to grow. Often "dirty" and suseptible to dieback and decline or sudden death. I am on my second one, and I lose a small branch or two yearly, but I have also had as much a 8" of growth this year. Some people I know have lost more than one of this cultivar, and some will not try to grow it anymore. I almost always suggest looking at a group of these and picking the healthiest one if possible and to buy a 3-5gal specimen if you can afford it. Enough for now. MJH
Glen, this Maple was laden with Verticillium for years. So much so that Don Kleim of Henderson Experimental Gardens refused to grow this Maple. Maple Wood nursery in Placerville, California, was able to graft this Maple onto selected japonicum rootstock and cleaned this Maple up enough so that many of those plants were introduced and reintroduced back into Oregon to various nurseries. I believe William Goddard also was working with this Maple at the same time as Maple Wood to clean it up. I know what happened here much better than I do what was going on in British Columbia then. Even then Don would only have one plant in his nursery and it was in his Maple collection just to say he had one. Don's original plants came out of Japan in the mid 60's and in a few years time they were gone. That happened to a number of people here in California as the leading wholesale nurseries in Maples also refused to grow it until they got some plants from Maple Wood. As more of this Maple came in from Europe (Holland, van Gelderen I was told) rather than from Japan the number of plants dying out due to quick decline lessened considerably but we still saw evidence of Verticillium later with die back to large portions of some trees but it would not kill them. Whole 5-6' branches would wilt and die whereas the other branches were fine until the next year in some cases in Oregon. Now we can see scions of this Maple grafted onto circinatum for cooler climates and on japonicum still for warmer climates. I had one come in last year, the first time I've ever owned this Maple. I feel that for a warmer climate this Maple still has to be protected from direct, hot afternoon sun depending on where we are located. I've seen this Maple burn a little in Eugene, Oregon, yet looked like a million bucks in Boring, Oregon, on the same day. Both only had some late afternoon protection. One of our problems with this Maple here is that we will see salt burn on the leaves when we fertilize with the wrong content fertilizer. If we use an acid food instead and in half strength amounts the Maples do not burn nearly as much or as often for us here and in parts of Oregon as well. Here we would have to grow this one with morning sun and afternoon shade in the early afternoon. We may see the golden colors in the Spring but we will not see the nice Fall colors that you will see. For you, as long as you give this Maple ample water during the growing season (you will know when it needs water as the leaves will tell you right now if you have any warm winds), do not over fertilize this Maple, that you can give it as much sun as you want with caution but I'd still want to give it some mid to late afternoon protection. This Maple is still not clean. If these plants are to die on us soon they will generally do it within the first 5 years it seems now. It used to be for a number of years that they would die out on us while still in the greenhouse here. The old guard in Maples loved the Maple when someone else had it but hated trying to grow it on for themselves for many years. Jim
Glen, You might also be interested in this recent Botany Photo of the Day entry: Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' That plant is partially shaded most of the day, but receives the occasional direct light from the evening sun in the summer months.
Thanks to your help, I'll look over the available plants carefully before purchasing. Seemed like a lot to pay for the 5 gal. trees (I normally try to get small stuff and be patient and grow them on myself). In this case, I can see the false economy if that small tree struggles along forever. I wish I knew where the few plants here came from, perhaps the folks at the one nursery I've seen them will give me a hint at their "history". With the many capable maple growers in our valley here, it was hard to understand the scarcity of this variety. Makes much more sense hearing more of the story on them. Glen
Hi Daniel: Can you tell us or me through a private message the sourcing (who the Maple came from and about when this plant came to the Botanical Garden) of the Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum', in reference to the Botany Photo of the Day? Did the Maple come in as a grafted plant or was it a cutting grown Maple? Thanks, Jim
That particular plant was received as a plant from Clay's Nursery in Langley, BC. However, even though it was accessioned in 1976, it was never identified until 1989 by the late Dr. Gerald Straley.
