Has anyone grown Japanese maples in 9b area, or is it too hot and humid? I tried growing a seedling about 4 yrs ago and it died. should I try again?
Susie
Japanese Maples
For Japanese Maples, hot and humid is better than hot and dry. I have one that has been here for eight years and doing great. It is planted under giant Oaks and only gets dappled sunlight. We have only recently planted anything under her so there is little competition.
I compost bigtime and every year it get a two to three inch covering of the good stuff.
A few years ago we planted a green one and it did great the first year then died the first Winter. You win some, you loose some. We have about six total and they are doing good, they just are not fast growers.
Are there any that stay rust or burgundy colored all year in our climate?
Hi Susie!
I'll bet that id you go to Maas Nursery, over in Seabrook, you will be able to find just what you are looking for. It's a really good outing, not far from Kemah.
http://www.maasnursery.com/
Thanks Annette, I have been looking for a reason to go to Maas now I have it.
Kenboy, I guess that it is an unstory tree then. I will take that into consideration when planting my next one or two. You sound like me in composting. I always have 3 compost piles going at once and don't plant anything until I raid one of my piles. I have several large oaks with smaller trees growing under them so I should not have a problem with finding a place for one. thanks for the info..............
I have one JM that is about 10 years old. It's in a big pot and gets morning sun for about 2 to 3 hours. I've had a couple of others that I put in the ground and they didn't make it. If you put it in the ground, just make sure it's in full shade to dappled shade. They won't grow in our Texas sun and heat, no matter what the tag says!
Crow
I've grown two Japanese Maples in Bellaire, although I finally removed one (Garnet) because it declined every year. The one that has been reasonably successful (Bloodgood) is grown as an understory tree where it gets good morning light for several hours but is protected by a huge 50-year old oak from western sun. The problem with Bloodgood is that its leaves aren't attractive for about half the year . . . it's gorgeous in spring (see attached pix), but all the leaves brown badly on their margins during our heat.
I only have one other prospective site (where Garnet stood), but haven't made my way down to Maas to see what they have. I know there are some weeping, lacey-leafed cultivars that might prosper here. Maas should know.
Leslie
