Spring colors (southern hemisphere)

Discussion in 'Maples' started by Jlo, Nov 13, 2020.

  1. Jlo

    Jlo Active Member

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    Some spring interest from down under to break up the fall fiesta. These are taken from our property in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast in QLD. Interestingly maples do very well here despite it being a fair way north in terms of latitude. The climate is warm temperate and quite stable with summers getting up to 30+ degrees C and winters going as low as 1-2 degrees overnight with an average annual temperature of 18.5 degrees. We never get frosts here and our place is situated at about 530 meters above sea level. The area also gets a large amount of precipitation each year (between 2000 and 4000mm).

    Also, for those of you who wonder if you can achieve fall color in hot climates, the last photo shows a seedling japanese maple in my house in Brisbane in July (our winter). Brisbane is at sea level in sub-tropical QLD with long humid summers (mid 30s most days) and relatively short winters that rarely get below 5 degrees C overnight.

    In order:
    1. Shaina
    2. Mikawa
    3. Pixie
    4. Kasagiyama
    5. Autumn fire
    6. Hana matoi
    7. Oregon sunset
    8. Autumn Moon
    9. Assorted maples in pots (Matsumurae, hana matoi, aureum, orangeola, waterfall, Acontifolium)
    10. Seedling maple in fall in Brisbane
     

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    Harcuvar, opusoculi, AlainK and 3 others like this.
  2. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @Jlo good morning or is Gday to an Australian, anyway it is wonderful to see some Spring colours as our Autumn leaves are now falling rapidly. Amazed at how you can keep your maples so healthy in the heat you have there and the temperatures not getting very low in Winter, so they must struggle to sleep. But healthy they are, so a big well done to you.
    Really love the early morning misty photos, I can see also you have shelter from larger trees which must help considerably.
    Do keep the posts coming over the next few months, we in the Northern hemisphere will certainly enjoy them.
    I will definitely keep a look out for this thread.
     
  3. Jlo

    Jlo Active Member

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    Yes I've come to appreciate that maples are actually fairly hardy plants provided you don't do the wrong thing. I've been collecting and propagating maples now for about 5 years. The plants I lost in the early days was simply ignorance. Over watering maples in these warm and humid climates is disastrous as they quickly develop root rot and die. I've found maples are actually quite drought tolerant as long as they are mulched well and are in good quality free draining soil.
    With regards to dormancy, my maples usually go dormant in June and wake up sometime in late October so they get about 4 months of sleep which seems to be enough.
     
    AlainK and Acerholic like this.
  4. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @Jlo You have hit the nail on the head so to speak. We have all lost maples in our early years of growing from over watering etc etc. Unfortunately when I started over 42 years ago now there was no such thing as the UBC, or home computers tbh, Lol.
    But now everyone of us can learn from others experiences and your words this morning should give everyone hope that they can grow maples anywhere.
    I have found that mulching has been the best route for maples in my garden as the shallow roots don't suffer during very dry periods.
    Good to hear that your trees get some hibernation, 4 months is very similar to mine these days as the climate is changing. They do need their sleep!!
    Anyway as I said earlier, do keep us all cheered up over the coming weeks with photos of your lovely trees.
     
  5. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    Quite true : most of mine have kept their leaves through early November, and some will bud out as early as late February like 'Little Princess', one of the first. That's about 4 months !
     
  6. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    @Jlo, good evening, any chance of some more lovely Spring maple photos from down there in Australia ? These dark cold short northern hemisphere days need some cheering up.
     
    AlainK likes this.
  7. Jlo

    Jlo Active Member

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    Sure thing. Many of the maples are have darkened for summer. Unfortunately it is quite dry at the moment so we are having to do more hand watering that we would like. Hopefully the rain will come soon.
     

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  8. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    All I can say is 'WOW'. You have just made a very cold and dull weekend here in England an enjoyable one. Thankyou.....
     
  9. emery

    emery Renowned Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    Really enjoying these, thanks! It's flipping snowing outside, in between episodes of drizzle and fog. At least the fire's going, and it's spring somewhere.
     
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  10. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    Beautiful ! It surprises me to see how healthy they look in a place where - I think- it never goes under 0°.
     

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