On a golden October day, it seems that the leaves of the Japanese maple have accumulated huge amounts of sunlight and now they can shine with their own brilliance. The intensity with which they discolor is truly remarkable. The foliage is visible from afar and the garden is filled with the most magnificent autumn aura.
Remember, however, that maples do not dress with such beautiful colors in every place and every year.For the first few years, the leaves of young, well-fertilized ones are not very easy to color. trees and shrubs.
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Maple palmowy Acer palmatum (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
Japanese maples Acer japonicum, Acer palmatum, Acer shirasawanum have low soil requirements. Therefore, if we plant a plant in poor garden soil, it is enough to apply a long-acting mineral fertilizer that releases nutrients in small doses. The best time to fertilize is April.Then the young shoots have enough time for lignification and in winter they are less prone to frost damage.
The saturation of leaves with shades of yellow, orange or red is not only responsible for the supply of earth, but also sunlight. As a rule, trees and shrubs are covered with the strongest colors when they receive a lot of sunlight.
Japanese maple care
Japanese maples have beautifully shaped crowns by nature. However, it is sometimes necessary to use a secateurs, but handle it with care. Crown adjustments should be reduced to the necessary minimum.Minor regulatory cuts are no problem in the first two or four years.Most often it comes down to halving the length of fast-growing vertical shoots called wolves. Older plants should not be pruned.
If necessary, it is best to cut between April and August. Earlier treatment often causes excessive secretion of juices. Too late causes the wounds to not overgrow properly, which increases the risk of developing fungal diseases.If the shoot has a finger diameter or greater, it is worth applying a lotion to the cut wound to speed up healing.
Dead twigs can be easily broken off with your fingers in winter, because at the base of each sprout there is a natural cut-off zone, poorly grown with the main stem.
Light plays an important role also in the case of red-leaved varieties such as 'Dissectum Garnet' or 'Atropurpureum'.If not enough sunlight reaches them in the summer, the purple leaves turn green.In this group of sun-independent "Bloodgood" maple, distinguished by extremely dark foliage. Some varieties of Japanese maples, such as 'Katsura', 'Orangeola' or 'Mikawa yatsubusa', boast attractive young leaves with reddish or greenish-yellow shades already in spring. Many Japanese cultivar names refer directly to typical plant characteristics: for example, 'yatsubusa' in Japanese means 'stocky, squat' and 'beni' means 'red'. Other names are more pictorial, so 'shojo' means red-headed monkey and 'komachi' is a beautiful girl.
Japanese maples appear in our gardens more and more often.Most often, they choose a position at the edge of a pond, as well as the vicinity or even the slab of the terrace. Beautiful trees and shrubs are usually not very impressive in size, but they delight with their beauty. Therefore, they look great in the front garden, as well as add charm to a seating corner in a quiet part of the garden. Cover plants around the maple trunk, such as the Japanese Hakonechloa macra or epimedium grass. Bare soil can also be covered with a layer of gravel. Ferns and Japanese azaleas are perfect neighbors for maples.
National Clone Collection
In the Rogów Arboretum there is a collection of Acer clones, one of the largest in Europe, currently numbering 180 taxa. This is called The National Collection, which visitors admire especially during October walks in the garden.
Maple trees belong to the trees whose leaves turn yellow, orange, red and brown after frost. Of course, this is not the only advantage of these plants.Among the genus so rich in species, there are those with interesting inflorescences (spiked maple), fruit (devil's maple), bark or habit. In the Arboretum in Rogów you can see Chinese jagged maple. Its trunk is covered with flaky cinnamon bark, attracting the attention of visitors from a distance.
The jagged maple also looks beautiful in winter, although it is not an evergreen species. It is at this time of the year that its bark has an even more intense color and is then beautifully exposed.
