Hello, This is my first thread, and i don't know much about Acer's (and if that isn't enough, i don't speak English that well), so be a little patient please.. A while ago (end of april/ start of may) i saw a spectacular bright red Acer. Too bad the owner can't tell me the specific name. I've seen a lot of Acer's since in stores, but never with color as saturated as that one. Can someone help me with some suggestions? I'm looking for: *A small tree, which has the most bright/ saturated color in spring, for as long as possible! *(if possible!) nice color in summer (rather FRESH green, or a bright red color, than dark red/brown *a good fall color as well (yellow/orange or red) Because i already have some nice fall-color in my garden, the bright red in the spring is more important to me, but of course it's best if it looks nice al year. The tree/plant will stand at a sunny place. I was thinking to choose between these ones: Chis(h)io improved: i red that this one has the brightest red spring color, which lasts a long time (is this true?) I wonder if this one is also beautiful the rest of summer/fall Beni Tsukasa: beautiful variation through te seasons (???), but is the spring color as spectacular as the Chishio? Shin Deshohjo or Beni Maiko; are these ones very alike? Looks great on spring pictures Osakazuki; or is this one only colorfull in fall? Nichosonii ??? Maybe someone can help me out.. There are so many different types, and at the stores you can't get a good impression how it looks thorigh te seasons. Thank you!
Hello. Chishio, Deshojo, or Corallinum (and others of the same group) have a 'similar' striking pink-red in the spring (I'm not that good at descriptions - check out the pictures forum) but their size and shape varies somewhat, as can the length of time before green enters the leaf color in the summer. You can count on may be April-May staying red. The color changes can depend on the weather, type of soil - more sun, for instance, short of leaf burn (!), can translate into a longer red from what I can see (at least in reds that are 'meant' to stay red longer, like Fireglow, or (Red) Trompenburg). Beni Tsukasa has a really beautiful pink-salmon color in the spring, and switches to a green-pink, then green in the summer. It's unique, different from the above. Osakazuki is 'only' colorful in the fall, but its leaves are pretty great nonetheless. However, it is not a small tree. Plant more than one tree, that way you can enhance the color effects, if it's color you want. There are books on the subject. See the Maples Reference books section. You won't have trouble finding the right tree in the Netherlands. Cheers.
'Chishio Improved' is a pink-red in the spring I believe. It's hard to beat 'Shin Deshohjo' and 'Beni Maiko' for spring bright red colors. 'Beni Maiko' is usually smaller than 'Shin Deshohjo'. 'Corallinum' has a coral-red "spring bloom" and would be another excellant choice. Unfortunately the bright spring colors only last a few weeks in the spring for all of the previously mentioned cultivars. If you are interested in bright yellows and oranges, try 'Orange Dream'. Mine still show bright yellow months after most of the other "spring bloomers" have faded to green. The others on your list aren't known for bright spring colors. It's hard to make a mistake when you are choosing Japanese Maples. All of them are beautiful. Dale B.
Thanks for the answers so far! I think i will choose between the "Chishio Improved" and "Shin Deshohjo" (or normal Deshohjo???). When i look at some pictures, i don't see much difference in spring color (bright red) between these two, (but please correct me when i'm wrong). I also heard that the corallinium is very fragile, and i like (in this case; because of the color effect) a larger, stronger leaf. The only thing i still haven't found out yet, is which one is the least sensitive for direct sunlight. That's because the half shadow parts of my garden are already taken. I forgot to mention earlier : i have already an a.p. dissectum rubrum (my favorite), an acer shirasawanum jordan (yellow), and an a.p.Greentumb North Carolina in this area. So there's not much difference in how long the bright color effect holds on? And i also wonder which one (Chisio or Shin Deshohjo) has the best color in the other seasons. Thanks again, and i hope for some help once more.
My vote is for "Chisio Improved" But I'm not sure it will tolerate as much sun as you plan for it! It stays a sort of "Azalea pink" through spring & then gradually (depending on the weather & temperature) shades to salmon color & Lt green & then to a bright yellow/orange/red (weather again) in the fall. My sister has one under Oak trees and it is gorgeous! Wanda
