I'm asking for ideas for a hard to fill spot in a premier location (big pot in front of a yellow house). Charlie and I have talked about it quite a bit and, so far, the best fit is Red Cloud. If it had purple bark, I'd be ready to commit. So, it is the tree to beat. However, all of the following criteria would be met in a perfect word: Height: not less than 4.5 feet and not more than 7 feet at maturity (if it is one that at 30 years of age is 10 feet, I can keep it trimmed... but not willing to try and stuff a tree that could naturally be 20 feet in the pot) Bark color: Dark (preferably purple) Leaf color: not solid green or yellow Fall color: not yellow Branching structure: not "bushy", preferably graceful, not too wide as the pot itself is taller than it is wide, and since the sidewalk is right behind it no weepers Sun exposure: Pacific North West almost full sun (part of which is afternoon sun) so no shade lovers Nearby neighbors that I would not want to repeat: Ueno yatsubusa, Pixie (definitely not Pixie, I already have three), Beni kawa, Kasagiyama, Katsura (this is the closest JM to the spot, so I'm not considering any Katsura group members), Beni schichihenge, Oshio beni, Orange Dream, Iijima sunago, Orido nishiki BTW, the tree sitting behind the pot is Beni komachi. I had originally intended it for this location, but hubby doesn't care for its immaturity nor does he particularly like its shape. Can't say I disagree.
A couple come to mind - if you want really dark bark, A.p. 'Pung kil' has really dark bark and is a linearilobum similar to Red Cloud. For a palmate leaf that doesn't get too big and isn't yellow, perhaps A.p. 'Summer Sunset', which is a small red with dark stems and nice red fall color. Holds color well. Or another that I think is really often over-looked - A.p. 'Otome zakura', which is screaming pink and red in the spring, green with some red in the leaves in the summer, and then pink and scarlet in the fall. Stays small, and mine is in roasting sun a good part of the day and holds up perfectly.
Can't say I have any ideas regarding the maple (though I like my little Beni ubi gohon, but that's probably too small), but I LOVE the pine (?) in the picture. Gorgeous!!! How old/big? Don't mean to hi-jack the thread, just had to comment on the tree :)
Maybe consider Acer palmatum 'Red Filigree Lace' (but just noticed you said no weepers after posting).
K4: Interesting ideas. I'm not wild about Pung kil, looks like it greens out too much for me in the summer. How big do 'Otome zakura' and 'Summer Sunset' get? M&P: Actually, I REALLY like the idea of a Beni ubi gohon. Charlie has one that should be just barely big enough. What I like about that cultivar is that it wouldn't get much bigger. My hesitations: what color is the bark and how well does it hold its red? Re: the pine, it is a Banshosho bonsai. It has to be pretty old but I'm not sure how old. I just purchased it last fall at Bainbridge Garden's annual one day 40% off any one item sale. And I still had night sweats about how much we paid. But totally worth it. JTI: I have a 'Red Filigree Lace' that I just put in the ground and I am in love with it. Super delicate gorgeous dissected leaves. Really yummy. Just realized, I responded to your posts but forgot to actually say, "thank you." So THANK YOU for your thoughts.
My gohon is just a wee scrap of a thing (see attached), and last summer's never ending heat wasn't a good judge of the tree's true character (though it survived), but if I recall correctly, it stayed pretty red all summer. Some greening, of course, but not that much. I obviously had it in as much shade as possible, especially in the afternoon, but as your sun isn't as intense as it is in Kansas, I would think it would do well in the selected location. Too young to tell bark color - maybe Charlie knows? The Banshosho is amazing!!!!! I can only imagine how much it cost - even on sale! But, like you say, totally worth it. :)
I went to Charlie's for design assistance with the full intention of taking home his 'Red Cloud' and maybe also his 'Beni yubi gohon' (that's how Talon asserts it is spelled at http://florawonder.blogspot.com/2012/04/skinny.html although it seems he and Diana at Topiary are the only ones). But hubby fell in love with a 'Red Pygmy' that I had almost taken home so many times that it had become a standing joke between Charlie and me. So I couldn't resist any longer. I came home with 'Red Pygmy', 'Red Cloud', 'Shu shidare', and a small 'Geisha Gone Wild'. And how sad is it that I can't stop thinking about the 'Beni yubi gohon'? When we got home, I couldn't sleep because I was tossing and turning over this. So, at midnight, I got out my tape measure. I measured things in the dark and would then run over to a house light to see where my fingers were on the tape. Charlie, I can't believe you don't have a tape measure! And what was I thinking to not bring one?! Argh. Anyway, this 'Red Pygmy' is a solid seven feet tall with a canopy that is six feet in diameter. The pot in which it is currently living is 30" across. My target pot is 24" at the lip and 27" at the bulge. So, here are my concerns. First, I could probably force the tree into the target pot by gently shaking off some excess dirt. But would it be happy long term? Because of the shape of the pot, the only way to ever get it out would be to break the pot. Second, would it be safe from falling over if we ever got a big, winter wind through there? In the current picture, the bottom of the pot is buried about 2.5 inches. Theoretically, I could bury it a little further to address that second issue. Then again, I could put it in the ground there and mound it up as high as possible. But the reason for doing the giant pot thing is because that bed is on top of a septic tank that is only two feet down. So the drainage in that bed isn't the best. On the other hand, I could possibly put it in my yard in an alternate location. But the only spot that comes to mind is currently occupied by my 'Japanese Sunrise'. And the only place I can think the 'Japanese Sunrise' could then go would be down in the canyon where the only place from where I could see it would be my bedroom window. And when the 'Red Pygmy' bronzes out in the summer, it would then be in a bed between 'Baldsmith' and 'Green Hornet' so I would have a lot of similar tones. So I'm not sold on that idea. But it would be different leaf textures. And spring and fall would be spectacular. I'm imagining the orange of the 'Red Pygmy' contrasting against the vivid red of the 'Baldsmith' and loving how it looks in my imagination. Hmm. And, then I could put the 'Red Cloud' in the original target pot. My understanding is that it will hold its red and so contrast nicely against the yellow house and also pick up the deep red of the adjacent small red pot. So, back on the first hand (putting the 'Red Pygmy' in front of the house in a way to be determined), would putting the tree in front of a yellow house detract from its showy orange/yellow fall coloration? THANK YOU all for helping me think my way through this one. This is one of the most visible spots on the whole property and it's really important to me to get it right. M&P: love the 'Beni yubi gohon'. Yours is really cute and you'll have fun for years watching it. If money and space were not an option, I would have snagged the one at Charlie's. But hubby was resistant. I'll post a pic under the 'Beni ubi gohon' thread (http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=26850). Just be forewarned... it's a cruddy camera phone shot because, in addition to forgetting my tape measure, I also forgot my good camera that I had even charged up for the occasion.
I was going to suggest 'Red Pygmy', but I didn't know how well the colour holds in your climate (It has a good colour all season here). I wouldn't try to force it into the smaller pot if I was in your situation. Not a good idea to lose that much root mass and, as you mentioned, the base may not be wide enough to be stable in high winds with that large of a tree. I try and avoid the "smash to get out again" pots for maples/trees, and if I use them at all it is for trees that are slightly small for the size of pot and can expect to live happily for several years before outgrowing it. And, certainly, that pot is too good to smash so I would probably go "pot in pot" with a smaller tree in a smartpot or plastic container that can safely be removed at a later date. I like the mounding idea for the 'Red Pygmy' in that location, it might even work to build a small raised bed within the existing bed. Good luck with whatever you decide.
maf, that's it exactly! You must have read our minds. I was really uncomfortable forcing the situation, but I was leaning in that direction. Hubby and I were out there "discussing" it when he proposed planting it on top of the current soil and then building a planter box around it. That way, it will have excellent drainage and even have room for the roots to expand. And our septic lids won't get covered by dirt. I just have to acknowledge the irony of the situation. Of my parameters, it may or may not hold its red (it will likely bronze out as that is a pretty sunny spot), the bark is not dark (its a yellow green in the crown), and it's too big for the target pot. But I think it is just stunning. And this particular example of Red Pygmy has almost made it into my truck on three previous occasions. I've attached pictures of it in the setting (still in its black nursery type pot). The first picture is the driveway approach and if you look by the door of the house you can just barely see its color peeking over the tops of the other trees. Then a picture of the bed in its entirety, as well as just the tree and leaves. Thanks to all of you.
Wanted to say thanks for helping me think my way through this one. I really appreciate the advice and feedback. We "finished" the bed today (one of the small blue shrubs needs to move to the right, but that's a task for another day) and I thought you'all might light to see. And I also shared a picture of the new patio grouping (from left to right / top to bottom: Akane, Shu shidare, Red Pygmy, Mikawa yatsubusa, Oki kasame).
