@Acerholic, D, can I ask you another question: My big ornamental cherry has some not very thick branches at the bottom of its crown that I would like to prune out so that the view to to back of the garden is a bit more open. Do I have to wait till the end of winter to do that? And there is a similar situation with my Acer rubrum October Glory, its lower branches lie on the fence and over the street behind it, so I should remove them.
@Acerholic, I was always worried that my maples might be unhappy, so I always dug holes at least 1 metre wide and 1 metre deep just to be sure, even when the pot was only 40 cm. So which depth do you usually dig, not double the height of the pot? I promise that was my last question for today....
@sun, tbh A I think it's a bit late for pruning a Cherry. Mid Summer is the very latest I tidy mine up. (Look up Silver leaf). Any dead branches can be removed at any time. But I would wait until early Spring if it were me. Your Rubrum can be done when dormant in late Autumn or early Spring before it leafs out. Some carry this out in Winter also.
@sun, please do not worry about how many questions A. Lol. I prefer to loosen the compost underneath on my newly planted maples. In effect halfing the amount of the pot size. I tease the roots in a splade appearance. Hope that makes sense. The depth does totally depend on the pot size, but the rule of thumb as I said earlier, is to ensure the root flare shows after it has been planted. So then you can see what depth your hole needs to be. Do remember to have your new trees on a mound. So that the roots are moist, but do not sit in water. It will sink a little over time, so do allow for this. Hope I've covered what you have asked A .
Trees in the genus "Prunus" resent being pruned. It should be done when the sap doesn't flow, that is when the tree is in dormancy. So preferrably a couple of weeks after leaf fall, or before budding (late Nov.-early Feb.). In any case, most Prunus, esp. "cherry" trees are prone to a lot of diseases so treating them with a fungicide after cutting branches is, I should say, strongly recommended.
Bordeaux mix, the "universal panacea" ;0) Powder diluted and sprayed. Contains both copper and sulfur. Recommended for cherry trees (Prunus avium & varieties) that have leaf problems, just before leaf fall, and is the basis of any treatment of peach trees (Prunus persica), apricot (Prunus armeniaca), etc.
@sun good morning A, just a quick one to show you how a yellow and a red looks in my garden. Atropurpureum you know, but the yellow is my Cryptomeria Japonica Sekkan Sugi. Just thought I would show it after mentioning yesterday that sometimes another plant or tree can work with a maple for contrasting colours. Have a good day in thr garden
@Acerholic, thank you D, Tbh until now I have had no interest in conifers, but I will gather some information about different conifer cultivars, can you recommend a good website, I will look up amazing maples and crazy conifers as well. I would also like a dwarf ginkgo, but I only ever find Mariken on a stem... Do you think salix hakuro nishiki woul also be nice somewhere between maples or even on the lawn?
@sun hope the weather is being kind there today for you. Regarding a website for conifers and maples together. I really don't think you can find a better one than Charlie's Amazing maples. His parents garden is very well laid out and has many good combinations to see. Regarding the Salix, IMO I would not go for it, my reason being is that it can detract from the beauty of your maples. But it is a pretty tree and can break up too much maple leaf. Careful planning is needed with companion planting. So easy to get it wrong. Ginko's go so well in a maple and conifer garden and the yellow colours in the Autumn just glow. I really love mine. It is quite inconspicuous during the Summer but Autumn !!!!!!!!!
@sun A , just found this photo of my Ginko Biloba from last year in my garden.( October). Hope it gives you an idea of the bright yellow of my tree. Acer Ariaki Nomura is in front btw.
@Acerholic, I love it, my Ginkgo is 10 metres high and still growing, so I am looking for a cultivar that doesn't get bigger than 2 metres but is upright or like a column and not like a small ball. Do you know if something like this even exist?
@sun yes there some A. I have copied this link with new varieties shown. Ginkgo Trees For Sale | Dwarf Ginkgo Varieties | Conifer Kingdom I think the weeper is rather nice IMO and imagine it next to an Osakasuki or in your case Fireglow. Could have the wow factor in the Autumn !!
@Acerholic, thank you so much, I will study it carefully, unfortunately I need to feed my family first and reassure them that they are even more important to me than my garden;))
@Acerholic , the links are great, after reading everything I went back to the hill to visualise again. I would like to have either a weeping Ginkgo or a Mariken on a low stem, but my big Gikgo is directly behind and a bit to the right of Nicholsonii so I think it would be too much of the same if I plant another Ginkgo only some metres away, I will put one somewhere else, however eventually. But I think it might look good to plant a Dissectum Viridis in front of the Fireglow a bit to the right. I think it would be a nice contrast in summer and in autumn and I wanted to plant one anyway...
@sun, I would agree totally about Viridis in front and slightly to the right of Fireglow, the combination of height difference, leaf and colours from Spring to Autumn would be perfect. And as they age don't forget the frosts and snow on the various types of branching will also look magical. Great choice A.
@Acerholic, okay thank you D, I have just begun to remove the upper layer of soil where thwe maples on the hill will be planted to save the good soil, before my workmen come as they do not make a difference between the good and the bad soil I like to do that by myself. I want to plant the 3 on the hill exactly as I showed you on the foto I measured the distance between Fire glow and Summergold 3 metres, and between Summergold and the hedge 4 metres. Do you think that`s okay. Of course Fireglow is situated not only to the left but also behind of Summergold, so both have enough space to the sides. I would send a foto , but atm I cannot find my my mobile phone.
@sun the distances are perfect A, don't worry about a photo I have just gone back through the thread to also visualise. Not certain what appearance you want in later years, but I actually like the woodland appearance where the trees meet. Some don't and prefer the specimen type tree. It is down to personal choice and room available. Would be interested to hear what look you're after ??
@Acerholic I would not mind if Fireglow and Summergold meet but I also want to make sure that Nicholsonii will still be seen in this case.
@sun that's interesting A, so the best of both worlds. Now that really is going too look good. A small copse and a stand alone is how the great houses of the past created their landscape masterpieces ( Lancelot Capability Brown) garden designer springs to mind. Sounds like you are all ready for Thursday A.
@sun good morning A, hope all goes well for the digging today. Do update with some photos, yes I know it sounds a bit strange, but most on here like to see this type of thing. Lol.
