Cutleaf Japanese Maple, Threadleaf Japanese Maple 'Goshiki shidare' (Acer palmat

Cutleaf Japanese Maple, Threadleaf Japanese Maple 'Goshiki shidare'
Acer palmatum var. dissectum

'Goshiki shidare' (Spring 2011)

I'm in love with all of your trees and plants...you're amazing!

Thank you! I posted pictures of my garden on Flickr. I have a photo tour, spring and fall galleries. All my galleries can be viewed via: www.flickr.com/photos/japanesemaplegarden/

Thanks to you, JT1, I see the significance of planting where the background color enhances each plant.

Thank you! I love to use contrasting color and texture in our garden. Because of the small space we also like to use dwarf, rare, and unusual plants to give our garden a larger feel. Evergreens and plants / trees with interesting structure help add winter garden interest. Along with color and texture, building up the planting beds not only allows for good drainage, but it also creates an elevated stage for the plants to stand out.

Just lovely and well thought out. Would you have any recommended reading to share with us.

JT1,
I would love to duplicate the spot in the front yard at the corner of the house near the driveway. I think there's a false cypress bush, hosta, but can't ID the other shrubs. Please share with us all.

I encourage you to check out some books on Japanese gardens. I think the idea sometimes turns people off, because Japanese gardens tend to be very structured with many rules or principals. Some automatically envision pines and mound-shaped bushes or maybe stone gardens, but those are just a couple of common examples of what is actually a very diverse garden style.

I feel when you dive into the right aspect of Japanese gardens you can learn a lot about the importance of balance and taking a naturalistic approach to designing your garden. Gardening, inspired by nature, is what it’s all about and finding the style that speaks to you. If you read a book on the principals of Japanese gardens, it may leave you confused and intimidated, as if it’s unattainable, which is the case for most of us when landscaping in our own yard. I am recommending getting books with a lot of pictures and just looking through the pictures to inspire you. Do not find one picture that you like and try to re-create, instead let several pictures and gardens influence you in your design ideas. If you find a specific garden style that speaks to you then check out a book that is devoted to that style and discusses the principals involved. Some of the gardens have great color depending on the time of the season. Some can look very green, but that’s where introducing Japanese maples into your design can add lots of color. I am not saying to do a Japanese garden, but rather use it to influence the garden design when trying to achieve your garden.

Go to the library and check out some books, as buying them will cost a fortune and some would leave you feeling very disappointed in your purchase. Many libraries are networked together. So you can go online and reserve a book through the network and pick it up locally a few days later. That’s all I do to get through the winter. In the spring, I set out and design without using any books by applying my inspirations that were influenced by the pictures that spoke to me over the winter. There are a lot of great picture books out there. Currently I have checked out the “Garden Views” series by Tatsui Teien Kenkyujo (4 books in the series) ; “Masterpieces of Japanese Garden Art” by Kyoyo Shoin Co. ; “houses and gardens of Kyoto” by Akihiko Seki and Thomas Daniell.

Some things to consider:

-Let terms like dwarf, very slow growing, and upright give you the confidence to place things closer together where spreading and fast growing tells you to give it plenty of room. Also growth habit can influence the spacing. A mounding tree can grow under a vase shape tree easier where as two vase shaped trees will conflict and need to stay further apart.

-Lighting, climate, soil, and competition can play a big role in the overall size of a Japanese maple.

-Look for trees that are known for holding their color well in full sun.

-Pictures and tree descriptions are designed to sell. Spring and fall colors are short lived. You will need to consider summer color to achieve your desired results. Consider trees with interesting structure and bark color to add winter interest.

-Try to find a local grower or a grower with an area of similar climate and read their tree descriptions to better determine growth rate and it's ability to handle full sun. If that does not turn up any results, use multiple wholesalers websites (many have descriptions that are open the public)

Pay close attention to leaf shape and color. Use plantings behind to enhance the color of the tree in front. Look at the growth habit, for example a vase shaped tree compliments a weeping tree nicely. When picking out a weeping tree pay attention to the grafted height and how that will pair up with the companion trees. In some cases a lower graft is preferred when planted in the foreground, where a higher graft may work better if in the background. I also recommend trying to source trees that are at least 5-10 years old. At that point they have better developed their individual character and it makes it easier to pair up companion trees without paying a fortune for very old specimens. You have to consider if you want to have maintenance keeping the trees your desired size or if you want to let them grow. If you want to let them grow and keep things spaced further apart, then you can use angles to make the trees appear as though they are closer together. Instead of three trees in a line use a V shaped placement. Keep your view point (patio or picture window that you will be viewing the garden from) in mind when using this placement. I apologize for not throwing out the technical landscape design terms, I am self-taught and not into reading garden design books :-)

J.D. Vertrees book Japanese Maples 4th edition has a great table starting on page 337. It gives helpful information for planning a Japanese maple garden like size, form, color, leaf shape, and much more. The book also has helpful information on over 600 maples.

Peter D. Adams book Bonsai with Japanese Maples has great information on care and pruning techniques.

If you ever find yourself in Ohio let me know and I will give you a tour of the yard. I think you are talking about the larger bed with the blue stone boarder under the large picture window. Along with the plants you mentioned we have:
-Acer palmatum Atrolineare
-Blue haven juniper
-magic carpet spirea
-wintercreeper euonymus
-Winter gem boxwood
-Blue star juniper
-golden ruby barberry
-my monet weigela
-mr bowling ball arborvitae
-leucothoe scarletta

I am most greatful of your suggestions. I know I have always loved JMaples. When I start a project or want to learn more about a specific thing I too turn to the good old library. I have been collecting pictures of gardens and flower beds that I like, but what I have seen from your pics is the fact that there seems to be less care if I take proctective measures to keep the weeds out.

I know I won't be able to use all plants that you have due to our very hot summers, but will look into what is good for my regions.

The furtherest I go north is to Chicago to see our son and daughter-in-law, but would love to take that tour of your.

I am guessing the wintercreeper euonymus is the golden feathery shrub that I love. The blue colored bushes usually turn green here, but I will keep looking. I would love to add some of the short varigated grasses though.

Well, I will be deep in reading the next few weeks.
Thank you ever so much for the tips. I appreciate it.

Yes, my garden is very low maintenance. That is the beauty of using dwarf and slow growing plants. Since you love Japanese maples like me, here are a couple of resources:

http://www.buchholznursery.com/plant_library_search.html
(great information and pictures- Search "Acer palmatum" to find their long list of Japanese maples)

http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9
(maple lovers / collectors / growers from all around the world post pictures, information, and discuss topics related to Japanese maples. You may find someone who is a collector in your area that can share what varieties they have good luck growing)

The feathery shrub maybe the gold mop false cypress.

Also, if you would like to see a story about my yard check out garden design magazine:
http://www.gardendesign.com/places/my-garden-maple-garden-in-ohio
You need to view all 14 pictures to read the whole story.

Hope you find the above helpful.

Thanks for the tips on websites. I'll definitely read all I can to find out JM's suited to my area.