I hope this is the right forum. I was wondering if anyone could tell what kind of tree this is? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Acer palmatum var dissectum, grafted as a half standard I'm guessing, can't see the high graft in any of the pics though. Perhaps 'viridis' or similar. Will retain current height, forming a mound shape over time. -E
Thanks so much for the response. It sure sounds like you know your stuff. I liked the look of this tree and for five bucks I figured why not? I looked up the name you gave me and it stated that this tree can be grown in a large pot as well. Any ideas on that?
I assume this is a grafted maple but it is not evident in any off the enclosed pics. Their are alot of beautiful green dissected cultivars within Acer palmatum and anything at this point would be a guess if you have lost the plant label. For what it is worth, my guess is 'Baldsmith'. The spring coloration will be light pink and green and the fall coloration will be a vivid pink red in color; mid summer will be largely green. Maybe post same question next spring once you have spring, summer and fall pictures of this tree. Hope this doesnt 'muddy the water'.
I saw this tree and liked it, however it did not have a tag and no one in the garden center knew what it was. I bought it anyway and am now just trying to get an idea of what it might be so I can plant it in the right spot, etc. I am not an experienced tree or shrub person. Are there any pictures I could take of something particular on the tree that would help identify it?
You can put this maple in a larger pot but better not to do it all at once, rather increase pot size gradually as the roots grow. Above all make sure the soil is very free draining and the pot doesn't stand in water. Limit fertilization, keep in partial shade with a little wind protection, you'll have a beautiful plant. Helluva buy for 5 bucks! The stem looks very good. Unless you're located pretty near the shore you probably want to protect the pot with some bubble wrap or other insulation during the winter. Or put it in the ground if you've got a place, Mass is a fine place to grow Japanese Maples. cheers, -E P.S. I wouldn't have picked baldsmith as the cultivar but very hard to say this late, of course picking the exact cultivar is always difficult. So your guess is as good as mine!
Well, I bought a very similar plant a month ago for 250 SEK, something like 30 usd, and thought I made a pretty good buy.
If the tree is grafted, you should be able find (and photograph) the graft union -- where the rootstock and the grafted tissue are fused -- somewhere low on the trunk. That would tell you that the upper part of the tree, containing the visible foliage, is some kind of selected variety. If there is no graft union then the tree is probably a seed-grown plant that may be beautiful and desirable but doesn't have a particular cultivar name.
Kaspian, this plant is probably grafted as a half-standard. In this case the graft is not low, but high, probably where the weeping part begins. K7827, beyond what I gave in the original reply, it is nearly impossible to name the actual cultivar. (That is, named selection that is propagated clonaly.) If there is one. There are just too many similar green dissectums out there to distinguish. Japanese Maple naming is kind of a mess... :) -E
Thanks to all the helpful people out there. I understand what you mean about there being so many different varieties, it would be impossible to pinpoint the exact one. But I know more now than a couple of days ago when the guy I bought it from said it was "probably a ***. maple?" and good luck with it. I wasn't even sure I got that right. I am just starting to experiment with different kinds of plants and it looks like this is a great place for that.
be careful- japanese maples by themselves are very addicting- I have 80 cultivars and only started about 3 years ago- their is no end in sight... justin
