There’s room in any garden for a Japanese maple. They’re graceful and elegant, yet once established require little effort, apart from being looked at.
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Plus, they’re trees for all seasons – from winter, when the signature twisted branches are on show, to the flush of green spring leaves that often change to a summer showcase of green, red, burgundy, pink or even white, then change again in autumn to their glorious oranges and yellows. You can have a large weeping shade tree in your summer lawn, or plant in pots for your terrace, balcony or courtyard.
Check out the Japanese maples at Gory’u Japanese Gardens for inspiration.
If you have a rock garden, or a few boulders, they could do with a little soft drapery. The Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) comes in multiple forms – here, the Dissectum variety ‘Ao Shidare’ does the trick. (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)There are so many leaf shapes and shades with maples that when you let them mingle you can create light and colour without flowers. Try bleached A. palmatum ‘Wallies’ against the deep maroon ‘Shaina’ and limey ‘Hanama Nishiki’ for drama! (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)
Morning sun or part shade. Protect from winds that scorch the leaves.
Pruning
Prune when tree is beyond being a sapling to develop the shape you want. Do this in summer when sap won’t leak from the wounds.
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Water
Keep soil moist, especially during long, hot, dry spells.
Food
Wait until their second growing season before feeding. Then apply controlled-release fertiliser pellets in late winter or spring.
Mulch
Lots of it. It insulates the soil from weather extremes.
The willow shaped A. palmatum ‘Kinshi’ stands comfortably in its Japanese-style garden, but imagine it in your yard as you enjoy a picnic under its soft canopy. So dreamy! (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)
‘OSAKAZUKI AUREUM’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)‘HILLERI’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)‘MASU MURASAKI’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)‘CHANTILLY LACE’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)
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‘SHINDESHOJO’ AND A. JAPONICA ‘FAIRY LIGHTS’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)‘CRIMSON QUEEN’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)‘UKIGUMO’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)‘MARGARET BEE’, ‘BENI SCHICHIHENGE’ AND ‘GARNET’ (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)
Plant clusters of smaller trees with different-coloured foliage – close enough so the colours mingle.
Consider the exterior material of your home – red maples don’t stand out against a red brick wall, but a green-leafed maple will.
A classic maple – and one of the most beautiful – is ‘Emperor 1’. Its leaves emerge in spring as deep purple-red, then turn a vibrant crimson-red in autumn. (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)If you want to make your maple feel at home, include traditional Japanese garden ornaments, such as a stone lantern or the suikinkutsu, which produces ‘music’ as water drips through a hole. (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)Maples grow well in pots, such as this ‘Filigree’, which grows to about 1.5m high. If you have room, you can add contrasting foliage with the taller ‘Hilleri’, ‘Bronze’, ‘Red Select’ or ‘Orangeola’. (Credit: Sue Ferris)(Credit: Sue Ferris)
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Visit it
What: Gory’u Japanese Gardens and Maple Springs Nursery
Where: 85 Baaners Lane, Little Hartley, about 2 hours’ drive west of Sydney CBD.
When: Every day from 1 March to 30 May 2022.
Cost: Adults $20, seniors/ pensioners $15, children $10, under 10 free.
