Cormaic's Garden - Plants - Japanese Maple

Garden Layout - Plants - Japanese Maple
This delightful small maple grows in a largish pot in the shade of the Castor Oil plant at the back of the water cascade. It is underplanted with dwarf tulips for spring colour. I'm not sure of it's exact variety, as it was another unlabelled bargain from a plant sale, but it is definitely Acer palmatum summat. :~)

The deep red new leaves emerge during 3 or 4 'spurts' throughout the growing season, the first being in late March, with other periods of intense activity in late June, in August and, if we have a late frost, in late September. Despite all this activity, it is still a small tree, approximately 600mm high with a similar spread. I have trained it to grow to one side, to give it a more 'japanese' look, and its leaves and shape contrast well with the large Castor Oil plant in the adjacent pot. The leaves darken with age and fall off in the autumn, leaving a tiggy looking 'skeleton' with next year's buds already prepared. Late frosts, early morning sun, and dry winds can all damage the delicate leaves, so it is best to make sure that it is well protected from the worst of the weather.	Japanese Maple