I ordered a small Japanese maple skeeter bush on-line and planted it yesterday. It is about 3 feet tall. The slender trunk has branches coming out on one side but broken off the trunk along the other side. There is a nice bunch of leaves at the top. My question is--will this be a normal, balanced bush when it starts growing or will it be lop-sided? I am in Kansas where the summers are very hot and humid. It will get a big daily dose of sun. Will it be able to survive?
I would imagine if left alone in 2-3 years you wont remember where the missing branch was ,or, you can always shape it like you want it as Japanese maples, for the most part, take to pruning quite well. In my experience, most maples will show some transplant shock in the first year you plant them and this usually amounts to extra leaf burn and some leaf loss as the summer progresses. Make sure to water a couple of times weekly through its first year or two to minimize stress and to help it establish roots. I assume you bought a 'Skeeter's Broom' and mine gets 6-7 hours of full afternoon sun with little problems in USDA hardiness zone 7/8 (I am on the border between them). I would be more worried about a particularly hard winter killing your maple as I think you live on the edge of cold hardiness for most Japanese maple cultivars. Maybe someone else for your area and zone can chime in on their experiences with maples surviving hard winters. Justin
Thank you, Justin. I appreciate your taking the time to advise me I was terribly disappointed when I received it. . . . I'll be 78 in August. I hope the bush will prove you right--and in time for me to enjoy several years of it! Right now it looks a bit like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree!! I don't think I'll be ordering on-line again. Sharon
