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Plant of the week FACTFILE
JAPANESE MAPLES
Deciduous shrub/tree Dappled shade Well-drained soil with plenty of organic ma er Hardy Height: 1.2m to 10m (4-33ft)
Colour worth waiting for! Grow Japanese maples for spectacular autumn hues JAPANESE MAPLES ARE slow growing, can be expensive and the flowers are insignificant, so Nick are they worth Turrell growing? Oh, yes! GARDEN Their autumn WRITER colours are so spectacular every garden should have one. They come in all sizes, from
4 Garden News / September 20 2014
1.2m up to 10m (4-33ft) tall and they’re easy to grow. They prefer slightly acidic, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter. But don’t worry, they’ll tolerate most soils except very wet, very dry or very alkaline ones. Unlike mad dogs and Englishmen, these trees like to stay out of the midday sun. Dappled shade is more their game – intense sunlight scorches their
leaves. But they don’t like deep shade either because this dilutes the intensity of the autumn colour and will even turn the leaves of the purple varieties green. They have a fibrous root system rather than a framework of tap roots, which makes them great for growing in pots. They like a rich compost, so something they can get their teeth into such as John Innes No 3 is good. Add some
Backlit by the sun, acers set gardens on fire
extra grit and composted bark for drainage. They’ll thank you if you re-pot them every two to three years, which is best done in April or September, but don’t be tempted to pot them into a size they aren’t ready for yet. They don’t like sitting in wet, unexplored compost. If your garden suffers from cold, the roots of Japanese maples in pots can be affected. Frost isn’t
Left: Acer palmatum ‘Takinogawa’
Six of our favourite acers
Alamy
Acers are perfect specimen trees for pots
Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’
One of the most popular purple varieties. In autumn the deep purple leaves turn a bright red. It’s a strong grower too, ultimately reaching 10m (33ft) tall, so make sure you have room!
Green spring leaves are tinged with red, then turn bright green in summer. By autumn, they’re a brilliant yellow-gold and when they fall, they reveal red stems for winter. Height: 8m (26ft).
Garden World Images
Underplant with asters and milk autumn for every drop! GAP
usually a problem when their roots are below ground, but in a pot they don’t have the protection of the surrounding soil. Plants in plastic pots are particularly susceptible because plastic offers no protection. In these circumstances wrap the pot with hessian or fleece just in case. Plastic pots aren’t ideal in summer either, because they don’t allow the roots to breathe and the compost inside can get too hot. Terracotta is a better option. It regulates temperature and water by ‘breathing’ and offers a bit more frost protection. Maples don’t need pruning so if you find you’re pruning yours more than once every few years it’s probably in the wrong place. When left to grow naturally they develop the most graceful shapes. If you must prune, do it between November and February.
Acer palmatum ‘Ukon’
Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Viridis’
Slow-growing variety with lime-green foliage in spring followed by intense golden-yellow leaves in autumn. So bright it looks like it’s wearing a high-visibility vest. Height 2m (6ft 8in).
This low-growing cascading form will produce mounds of delicate lime-green leaves in spring and summer. They turn into shades of red, orange and gold in autumn. Height: 2m (6ft 8in).
Acer palmatum Dissectum Atropurpureum Group One of the finely-cut purple leaf forms with an arching habit. It takes about 10 years to reach 2.5m (8ft 3in) tall. Crimson autumn leaves.
If they’re pruned at other times they bleed sap from the pruning cuts. While a bleeding cut doesn’t kill the plant it can weaken it and
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Acer palmatum ‘Murasaki kiyohime’ Dwarf variety that only reaches 1m tall (3ft 4in), so good for growing in pots. Leaves are edged with purple-red in spring, which in summer changes to green then orange-gold in autumn.
an open wound could allow other harmful pathogens to get inside. The most common problem is leaf scorch, particularly among
varieties with finely-cut leaves. This can happen if the garden is
Continu es ove r the pag e September 20 2014 / Garden News 5
Plant of the week
“I still look forward to this time of year and I’ve been growing them for 30 years!” Matthew Skinner Specialist grower of Japanese maples at Barthelemy and Co Nursery
Shu erstock
too sunny or too windy but it’s easily remedied with some extra shelter. However, sometimes when the leaves start to curl it can be due to overwatering, especially in winter when they need hardly any. If this happens, knock out the waterlogged compost and re-pot with a fresh mix. Maples don’t like too much fertiliser, especially when they’re grown in pots. If too much granular feed is mixed with the compost then the roots may not be able to absorb it and it will burn them. If your maple comes into leaf in the spring and then suddenly withers and dies this is the likely cause. A feed in the spring and early summer with a slow release fertiliser or general liquid feed is all they need. Now is a great time for planting. The soil is still warm so roots can get established before the worst of the winter weather sets in. If you’re going to grow them in borders then a good mulch every couple of years with garden compost or well-rotted manure will keep them happy. They might like to take their time growing but as they say, good things come to those who wait!
I’ve been growing Japanese maples for more than 30 years and I still look forward to autumn. Their colours are absolutely breathtaking. I never tire of them. The two most important things to remember are that they hate growing in wet heavy clay soils because it rots their roots and they won’t grow in alkaline soil – it’ll kill them. Other than that they are an absolute joy to grow. If you’re growing them in pots make sure you water them every day in the summer. It’ll stop them curling up their leaves at the edges, which is the most common complaint about them. We grow thousands in pots in full sun and wind and never Avoid scorch with frequent watering get leaf scorch – watering is the secret. But don’t water in winter. Drainage is another important thing to remember. We grow them in our own compost mix of two parts peat to one part po ing bark. The bark helps with the drainage and provides the organic ma er they like too. Don’t be fooled by their delicate appearance – they’re as tough as they come. They certainly don’t get any special treatment here on the nursery. Too many
people bring them into conservatories or greenhouses over the winter to protect them. They don’t need it. All it will do is produce lots of soft sappy growth that will be susceptible to pest damage in the spring. One of my favourite varieties is Acer palmatum ‘O-kagami’. I know everyone talks about Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’, but the autumn colour on ‘Osakazuki’ is staggering and it holds onto its leaves for longer. I absolutely love it. We have one right by the entrance to the nursery. As soon as visitors get out their cars they walk straight over to it to get a closer look. ● Barthelemy and Co Nursery, 262 Wimborne Road West, Stapehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2DZ. Tel: 01202 874283, www.barthelemymaples.co.uk
‘O-kagami’ holds onto its amazing autumn leaves for longer than most
Choose a background of evergreens
The blue needles of this spruce make the acer’s leaves look all the redder
6 Garden News / September 20 2014
Autumn colour in Japanese maples is caused by a chemical change in the leaves and it is affected by environmental factors. In a dry year the colour won’t last as long and in a wet year, the colour is likely to be less intense. With such a wide range of autumn colours at your disposal you can choreograph a colour performance. Whatever colour acers you go for, their leaves will be enhanced if you partner them with evergreens to provide a constant background for your acers’ seasonal show. Try growing them with conifers in complementary or contrasting colours, or in front of solid evergreen hedges.
Weekly reminders and advice from the GN team 2
5 quick jobs to do right now
Harvest chard
Chard sown in summer is ready to pick now. The leaves taste best when they haven’t been allowed to get too big and their central rib too stringy, so pick them when they’re young and tender. If you harvest regularly, you’ll encourage new leaves for a fresh supply. You can also dig up one of the beetroot-like bulbous roots, pot it up and move it into the greenhouse for winter supplies.
4
Eliminate weeds for winter 3
Deadhead santolina 1
Divide perennials
Autumn is a good time to divide many perennials, when the soil is still warm and moist and perfect for the disturbed roots to get re-established. As a general rule, plants that flower in the first half of summer are best divided in autumn, so if you’ve got large clumps of geranium, geums or sisyrinchium (above), lift and divide them now. It will help keep the plants vigorous and healthy and stop them looking tatty.
Clare Foggett
Greg Loades
Ian Hodgson
Nick Turrell
Horticulturist Clare’s 50m (165ft) garden is home to fruit, cut flowers and ornamental borders.
Rose specialist and horticulturist with a large allotment that includes lots of roses as well as fruit and veg.
Kew-trained horticulturist and garden designer, who previously worked for the RHS.
Garden designer with 20 years experience. Nick’s garden is full of herbaceous perennials, grasses and herbs.
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Treat santolina just as you would lavender, shearing off all the old flower stems now. Like lavender, this is a plant that doesn’t appreciate being cut hard back. Only prune into leafy growth, not the woodier parts of the stems further down, if you want to keep it more compact.
5
When perennials die back and veg crops are cleared, previously unnoticed weeds are revealed. It’s a good idea to try to dig them out now, so that your garden can start spring with a clean slate. Make sure you get all the root out when you pull the weed up or it will regrow.
Put grease bands on fruit trees Female winter moth caterpillars will soon be making their way up fruit tree trunks to lay their eggs in crevices of bark. The resulting caterpillars, when they hatch in spring, feed on buds and the young unfurling leaves, potentially reducing your crop. Stop the females from crawling up the trunk by tying a grease band around it. They can be bought in garden centres or ordered online, so get them ordered now to make sure they’re in place by October.
September 20 2014 / Garden News 23