Dear Maple Enthusiast, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to the sixth annual spring maple viewing being held at my home at the New Jersey shore on Saturday May 17, 2008. I have been growing Japanese Maples in my gardens for the last 18 years and have approximately 250 cultivars with over 400 maples planted in my gardens on just over two acres. A small group of maple enthusiast gets together each spring to talk about our experiences with maples, new trees we have acquired, companion plants and our successes and failures. This event is an informal gathering on the local level to provide an opportunity to talk maples in addition and to help promote the Maple Society and build membership in our areas. I was fortunate enough to have known Dick Wolff and have some of his lesser known cultivars in my gardens as well as his more popular trees. New additions to the garden this year are an outdoor kitchen and bar area on the patio and over 50 new cultivars of maples. Below is a preliminary agenda for this event. 9:15 to 10:00: Continental Breakfast and Check In. 10:00: Welcome and Overview of the garden. Ed Shinn 10:15: Presentation, Benefits of The Maple Society! 10:45: Garden Tour 12:15: Lunch Menu in Planning 1:45: Questions and Answers 2:15: Afternoon Garden Tour (anything you missed), Refreshments, Networking and Silent Plant Auction. 3:45 Silent Plant Auction ends. The spring maple viewing is free of charge and all proceeds from the silent auction will benefit the NAB Maple Society. Attendance is limited to 25 people on a first come basis. Please respond via email to edward@eshinn.com. My garden and home is located in central coastal New Jersey, about one hour from NYC, Philadelphia and Atlantic City and easily accessible from major highways. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or for directions. Edward T. Shinn 3214 Allaire Road Wall, NJ 07719
Wow, Edward, I would like to be there, but I'm pretty far away from you. Absolutely, you probably have one of the big JMs collections in the nation (and surely more trees than some public gardens). I follow your pics and threads frecuently, and your Garden and JMs are wonderful. Quite huge effort form you to keep them healty and nice. Congratulations. Nelran
Nelran, Thanks for the compliment but I think that there are many larger collections than mine. This did not start out as a collection only my garden that contained many maples. I see numbers of over 1,000 cultivars of Acer palmatum and most of my established trees are the old standards. I work in an office all day and the garden is my place to relax so the upkeep for me is my exercise. My spring project this year included eight pallets of wall stone and eight pallets of pattern two inch blue stone for the walkway. I plan on planting about 25 new maples in this area along with other companion plants. I am working to help promote regional gatherings on the local level in the Maple Society and think that face to face meetings and discussions are a great way to share our experiences with maples. We also tend to have some nice plants show up for the plant silent auction. Not as good as some available at the annual Maple Society meeting but you usually find some nice stuff. Sorry I do not post often on these discussions. I am not very good at putting my thoughts down in writing on these issues. Ed
Really? Are these mainly private gardens? Are there any public US gardens with this many cultivars? I find the #400 to be astounding. My dream total is for about 50, but I clearly have an addiction. Everywhere I look in my lawn I think of a cultivar that would look good there. I am blown away that you are able to care for all these. Amen I have a notoriously brown thumb. I have killed just about everything I have ever tried to grow. My wife says I can join the Maple Society if I can keep my trees alive for at least one full year :)
Paxi, I think that many of the larger collections are private. I have found that there are quite a few nursery owners that propogate and grow maples as well as collect. I have met a lot of great peolpe through the Maple Society and the annual meetings and at these meeting you usually travel to see some of these collections. As far as care, I must be lucky. I have good soil and a nice location temp wise for maples. I put them in the ground and they seem to grow. The maitenance is not too bad with a good coat of mulch to help prevent weeds. I tend not to use chemicals in the beds because I now get thousands of seedlings and I do not want to kill them along with the weeds. Be patient with your trees and they will reward you in the end. Ed
Ed, Paxi, I just have barely 35 specimens. I bougth most of them locally, others were ordered by internet. My area isn't good for JMs, but anyway, I think that like Paxi, I got the "JMs disease".... addiction. I'm keeping this activity as a healty hobby toghether with some gardening, woodworking, and recently some carpintery for my house. Also, like you I'm working all day in office, so it's a good form to relax and enjoy the nature. By the way, Ed, you're telling me that there are several private collections of JMs with 1000 plus cultivars/specimens: well, what I suppose, is that these collections must be "very, very private"; and they keep them secret, (just because I can't find any of them in the web) Certainly, I would like to visit some day one of these collections. Regards, Nelran
I think Ed was saying there are perhaps 1000 cultivars in existence, not that they are displayed in any one garden. That said, his garden is gorgeous--and I saw it a few years ago, I'm sure it is even more spectacular now. I will definitely be there this year with camera in hand, and look forward to meeting other maple enthusiasts there. David
Nelran and others, My comment was that there are supposed to be over 1,000 cultivars of Japanese Maples not that they are in one location. The World Plants website states this number on their maple page. Esveld list 600 and Topiary Gardens list over 500. The gardens that you visit with the Maple Society meetings both public and private did not publish the total number of cultivars. You do get to see cultivars and species maples that are not common in the trade. I think that many times these collections are very private and are only open by appointment or through plant societies. NJ host the second largest beech collection in the US and the same garden has over 500 conifers. This garden is on the American Conifer Society NE region tour this year.
Sorry, Ed, and others, my mistake! (but anyway, I'm still thinking that your collection is gorgeus! (400!!). It will take me "awhile" (and a deep pocket of money) to reach at least half this figure!!! moreover, for someone that have to deal with a formal job!! I'm agree with Paxi, simply, astounding!! My deeply respects, Ed.
yep in my mind there isn't that much of a conceptual leap between 400 and 1000. In fact, at the rate you're going 1000 won't be far away! (admit it, you've had your eye on that property next door :)),
I would also like to own Ed's contigous property: just to enjoy 2 acres of fully filled with JMs. (Paxi, you're rigth, probably Ed's neigbor can get a good deal if he's running out of space to plant more JMs... but don't tell nobody) ;-)
nelran and paxi, Your thoughts are correct. I have been looking a the property next to mine but I still only have a small percentage of my yard planted. The pictures below show the back yard. The last picture is looking out from a patio by the house. I installed three island beds across the back edge of the property and plan to plant them in the next few weeks. Sorry I do not have any pictures yet. I have been out working every chance I get when it is not raining. One of the nice things about these trees is that they do not take up that much room. Many of my larger plants started as one gal. trees and I just move them as they grow. I have found that it takes time and do not rush my gardens. I have received manny comments that my bed is gust full of sticks. Ed
All, The pictures below show the new island beds installed across the back garden with the new walkway. It took about 35 tons of stone and a little exercise to install. These pictures were taken 06 May 2008. Ed
Ed, I would love to be able to see the beauty of your gardens for myself, but I'm doing the Avon walk for breast cancer in Boston that weekend. Thank you for posting the pictures on the website. Your new area looks fabulous and hopefully I can get there next year. Have a great garden viewing! Gayle
Ed's garden is an acer arboretum, monumental! We had a beautiful day to view his spectacular trees. The hospitality was just as fantastic as the collection . The plant auction contained a few treasures. Wonderful day Ed thanks.
Thanks Gil and all that attended and donated plants and items for the silent auction. We had 20 people attend and 32 items for the auction that raised almost $1,000 for the Maple Society. Ed
