Does this Japanese maple stay orange/red all summer in zone 5? If not, can anyone suggest a small (under 7ft) Japanese maple whose summer color will be orangey red. Am also looking for a small Japanese maple, light, lime-green leaf color all summer in the Northeast. Have been looking for 30 years for such trees. So glad I found this forum, perhaps my dream trees do exist somewhere.
Hi Bev: As for Orangeola, that one I've had before it was really introduced for sale anywhere else or to anyone else either for that matter. The pic in the 3rd Edition Japanese Maple book, page 186, is representative of the color of the true cultivar from my experience. Whether it will stay an orange cast during the Summer will depend more on how much sunlight the tree gets as opposed to your climate and growing zone. For me the plant has stayed a variety of colors during the summer and that is due to my ensuring it gets lots of sunlight and really only gets afternoon shade starting around 3:00 pm. I risk having some burning of the leaves but I do not see a strong greening out in color that this plant will get in dense shade or partial shade either. Will the plant hold its color in shade? No, it will not. If you can find the old Ruby Lace then you will have a nice compliment for color but Ruby Lace holds its color better than Orangeola does (most people in this forum have never seen Ruby Lace, that is not being facetious nor being cavalier, that is just plain fact). Another nice plant to have is "Inaba Shidare" grown in Oregon which is no different than Mr. Vertrees Oregon Garnet. Inaba Shidare here is entirely a different color, so was Mr. Vertrees plant of Inaba Shidare. The Oregon Garnet does have a nice variety of colors. The true Garnet out of Holland has nice colors also but it does not like wind, hot or cold here and will green out staring in late Spring here. If you can give it enough sun light my personal choice for evenness of color is Ornatum as you can get a pleasing growth habit, fine leaf structure and the color holds very well here with lots of sun. In shade it will green out also, like most any of the Atropurpureums will. Lime Green to me may be different than the shade of green you are looking for so that one will be tough. Then again Aoyagi to me is a Lime Green. The true Utsu Semi is a Lime Green. Katsura for us here turns a Lime Green all Summer long. If you can handle a darker shade of Green, Samidare has always intrigued me. If you would prefer a dwarf, then look for a Kiyohime or a Tamahime as they seem to be the most adaptable and the most grower friendly of the lighter green colored dwarfs. Jim
if you like yellow spring color and gold fall color i find flavscens has a great lime green summer color that it holds well. the leaves also are very finely cut, I have 2 in patio tubs and 1 in a pot in the shade, but im in zone 8-9 so zone 5 i think would do with just afternoon shade, if they stay moist:) red/orange is a little harder..for me anyway. i guess it depends on the shade of red you mean, beni shi en is red/purple with a cream inside border on the leaves for summer. In fall its orange, spring rose red, brighter than the summer red. However its a variegated cultivar so youll get green in the summer as an undertone..at least I do, but my maples all need shade here at noon so its hard for me to always see a trees normal summer standard. mr shep lives closer to you so his red/orange is most likely the best choice. Ornatum is really a top pick for the situation.
Hi Graftedmaplecollector: Actually I think you are closer to Bev than I am. I live in the San Joaquin Valley of California, a strong zone 8 by Western Garden Book standards. We all have our preferences for color and leaf shape and Flavescens is an excellent choice for a Lime Green. I just do not know what Bev is looking for in a "green" Maple other than it having a specific color. Another choice for an orange-red dissectum is the true form of Red Select which is another Maple most people have not seen or know much about either. I will admit the history of Red Select is still in doubt by our Maple book authors but I know where that Maple originated from. I bought one for me and the misses about 6 years ago being Ever Reds out of Oregon but they are most certainly not an Ever Red. I was shocked to see an "old friend" for sale any where so I picked up 4 of them in 15 gallon containers for us and two friends of ours. Jim
yes Ive seen both names in a single list from another nursery man and collectors. Of course Ive seen it the other way around too, mostly on ebay or local nurseries. Having the older variety would be great since mainstream plants tend to be the red/purple only.
Hi Jim, Thank you for your reply it was most helpful. It seems everywhere I look the Spring and Fall colors of the Japanese Maples are emphasized. What is important to me however is their Summer colors. Here in N.Y.S. I have never seen anything other than very dark colors and I wanted very light green and light red.
Hi Bev: That is the beauty of Japanese Maples as we can always find some that will fulfill our desires for year round color. Sometime look in the Maple Photo Gallery and see if anything really appeals to you for color. I advise you to buy one of the Japanese Maple, either the 3rd Edition or the 2nd Edition books and spend some time thumbing through them looking at the wonderful assortment of photos both authors have provided for us. Then get some ideas as to which Maples you want to learn more about and write the names down. Then start going to nurseries in your area and see if you can find any of the Maples that you have on your list. Once you have a list of "possibles" then ask if need be what are the colors during the Summer and do the Maples need shade or sun in order for them to sustain their Summer coloring. The biggest limitation people place on themselves is that they will not ask enough questions. The plants are for you and you will want to be happy with your choices so take your time, study the pics and then you will have a real tough time narrowing your choices down to just a few plants. Also, you will want to determine whether you will want to plant these Maples in your yard or will you grow them in containers for a short while, then plant them later or grow them in containers for the long term. You can always respond through this thread and ask more questions later. Jim
Sam, I'm beginning to realize just how addictive JM's can be, I want to run out and buy one of each tree that the forums members have suggested.
I recently acquired a beautiful Filigree, which is a light green dissectum made lighted by infusions of white on the leaves. It shouldn't get more than about 4-5 feet high, in case that's an issue for you. And yes, these trees CAN be unbelievably addictive! Vertrees' book has proved to be the most expensive book I've ever gotten .......
