Was out picking up some Erythronium bulbs the other days and although I really don't have room, like Snow White, I came across a couple of attractive dwarves that were hard to resist (now up to 42 different maples in a lot half the size of my last one). Both seem to be newer cultivars to local outlets and don't appear in the usual 10-15 year old maple books, though I saw a thread here discussing at least one of them. I was wondering what people's experience with these has been, e.g. growth rates, whether a waste of space or a gem etc.
Both are on the online catalogue of a well-known maple specialist in France : 'Ibo Juhi' (not 'Jihu') Acer palmatum IBO JUHI de Maillot-Erable - La boutique MAILLOT-ERABLE Small green leaves with brown points, new foliage pink-brown, corky bark. (From Vertrees & Gregory : "Ibo" = warty) 'Beni Kosode' Acer palmatum BENI KOSODE de Maillot-Erable - La boutique MAILLOT-ERABLE Very rare pink in spring according to the site.
I had inquired with a couple nurseries about Ibo Juhi and was told it was very fragile from all sources. I also really like Shin Hikasa and it's another very fragile plant. I don't know much about Beni Kosode.
Both plants came through a fairly hard winter (for the BC coast) down to around -10 C. and both are going to leaf out soon.
