Japanese Maple 'Tsukushigata' (Acer palmatum)

Japanese Maple 'Tsukushigata'
Acer palmatum

Tsukushigata in spring. End of March in zone 9.

This is a beautiful tree and exactly what I'd like in my front yard. It looks like a sculpture, which is why I like it. My vision is that it will compliment the stone facial of our house.

What is the age of this tree?

The tree was newly planted when I took this photo so I bought it big. I estimate that it is probably 5 years old. Tsukushigata goes through a wonderful change but doesn't stay red in the summer. It will also get pretty big so it can't be planted close to the house. It will get about 15 feet tall and wide. You also need to be careful if you are less than zone 6. Some trees don't fare well in cold weather. Are you wanting a tree that will stay red all summer? I'd suggest you ask for advice in the Japanese Maple forum from cold weather gardeners. If you want red, I'd suggest that you get a Suminagashi or Sherwood flame. Reds do look better in full sun. If you like the shape of this tree, you will have to find one where the lower branches have not been removed.

Feel free to ask me any other questions. I'm just zone handicapped.

Doss

Doss, you're in Palo Alto, CA. That's more like 10a/10b, not 9b. I'm across the bay in Castro Valley, next to Hayward and my location is between 9b and 10a. I mention this because when I visited Roger Reynolds nursery in Menlo Park, which is a stone's throw from Stanford and Palo Alto, the Sherwood Flame maples they had there were muted deep pink/garnet rather than red. Across the bay in Berkeley, at East Bay nursery, the same variety gets more cold fall snap and the leaves are redder.

This message was edited Nov 1, 2009 4:19 AM

This message was edited Nov 1, 2009 4:21 AM

Thanks Plantoid. We must be in a microclimate because I certainly can't grow zone 10 plants here and the zip code zone comes up with 9b. That is interesting about the color on the trees. I notice that the color on Koto No Ito is a lot redder when it's grown in colder climates. Mine just turns yellow.

Doss, thanks for the clarification, so I guess I must be in zone 9b. I bought a Sherwood Flame from East Bay nursery and had it planted two weeks ago. It's blood red now rather than carmine or cherry red the way it's supposed to be. It's my very first Japanese maple. What I like about this tree is that it was the first JM at East Bay Nursery to turn orange red and the leaves have stayed on for close to three weeks now and it's still getting redder by the day. It's probably the brighest red JM in my neighborhood for blocks around. All my neighbors' JMs are dark burgundy plum red still. Not a single one of theirs turned bright red.

Which JM cultivar in your collection does well in the Stanford area? That means which one turns red in spring early and stays red the longest and then turns red in fall early and stays red the longest. I'm looking for a small JM that fits these requirements.

Almost any Japanese Maple will be happy in our area plantoid. We are in JM heaven here. I would suggest that you ask the question about the small red cultivar on the Japanese Maple forum as there are people with a whole lot of experience. Suminagashi is my favorite red but it's a 20 foot tree and will eventually get taller than that in our area.