I have a cousin who collects Japanese maples. He often gifts me his 'scratch-n-dent' trees that are either misshapen, too small, or maybe he just has too many of a particular cultivar. I find them to be easy-care trees in the Pacific NW, and don't give them any particular babying. Here are some of my favs:

As a grammy, I am taken with the name of this one. I find it varies in coloration from year to year, not sure why. This photo was in spring shortly after I planted it. This year, the leaves were much more plain-jane, without the skeletal markings. It also gets very distinctive seeds that hang on for quite some time (2nd photo).


This one is fairly standard, stays compact, and is easy to prune to an open small tree.


This was a real pretty bright green maple, but unfortunately had a bad split in the trunk and died. I would try it again.


Butterfly in the fall. I have this planted amid mature Douglas firs and it really shines against the dark green.


Share your photos and experiences!

@Bonehead Deb, Beautiful!! You are in the perfect climate to grow JMs! My BIL lives in Olympia and has a few acres. He puts in JMs wherever he can. There are only 5-6 that grow in South Texas heat and usually only in the shade or mottled sunlight. And yet, I still struggle to keep them cool. Will post pics tomorrow when there's daylight.

Here are a couple of non-Japanese maples that I enjoy:

This is a very dramatic maple, with mottled leaves in various colors from green to yellow to pink to maroon. I tend to not have a lot of pink in my gardens so this is not my favorite tree (it mostly looks pink from a distance to me), but it gets a lot of remarks.


Another sycamore maple. I planted this at about the same time as Eskimo Sunset, and this guy has grown much more rapidly. It is not quite as dramatic, but still has lovely variation to the foliage.

Deb what zones can Sycamore Maples be grown in?

I believe Zones 4-8 but you'd have to check the specific cultivar. I was trying to add to the database on that info and found one website said 5-8, another said 4-7. I'm in 8b and both cultivars I have are thriving, so I can say for certain 8 is good. I watered them in well the first couple years but have done very little since then. One is on a hillside out of range of a hose, the other is in the yard and does get sporadic watering in late summer. I have not fertilized either one.

Maybe it's zone 7 on the East coast and higher in the PNW due to the milder summers you guys have

Two natives that I find in my back woods:

These grow prolifically in my woodlot, reseeding themselves with abandon. Be cautious if you find one in your yard, as they grow quickly and get huge. They are my favorite for chopped up leaf mulch, making a warm reddish color.


Who doesn't love a vine maple? The first to change color for me in the fall, they tend to 'hug' their taller evergreen buddies, and stay a manageable size.

Here are mine. 23z24 y/o NOID any guesses?





4-5 y/o Orangeola from Aldi.



I cant find a photo of the new Shishigashira before she started suffering.

Suffering Japanese Red Maple from Lowe's





Coral Bark from Maas Nursery placed in the shade similar to where the nursery had it.



All are in pots. The newest ones will receive pots when it cools into the 80's.

We have quite a few maples in our England garden. Here are a few - I'll have to post in batches...

Paperbark Maple

Snakebark Maple

Acer Negundo (Boxelder)

Acer palmatum dissectum atropurpureum
(summer)

and autumn (with two other acers behind it!)

Clifton, that paperbark maple intrigues me. I'm rather a sucker for peeling bark. The rest are beautiful as well.

Thanks, Deb. Me too, I love the peeling bark.

cliftoncat said:We have quite a few maples in our England garden. Here are a few - I'll have to post in batches...

Paperbark Maple

• Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

• Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

Snakebark Maple

• Snakebark Maple (Acer davidii subsp. grosseri 'Gros Hersii')
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

• Snakebark Maple (Acer davidii subsp. grosseri 'Gros Hersii')
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

Acer Negundo (Boxelder)

• Boxelder (Acer negundo)
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

Acer palmatum dissectum atropurpureum
(summer)

• Purple-Leaved Threadleaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpureum')
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

• Purple-Leaved Threadleaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpureum')
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

and autumn (with two other acers behind it!)

• Purple-Leaved Threadleaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpureum')
• Uploaded by cliftoncat

Wow, so gorgeous! I love their foliage and colors so much!

Here is my Jap. Maple tree that I got at Aldi a few years ago. Wish I bought a couple more. For the price, I think I got a very nice tree.




Close up of its pretty young leaves.

Thanks, Karen. Yours is lovely, too - I especially like the closeup of the young leaves. Do you know what sort of Jm it is?

Acer palmatum Oridono aka 'Orido Nishiki'

This one is new to me, so I can't really comment on it other than it's pretty. Some burnt tips but nothing too bad.

Acer palmatum Butterfly


This one is also new to me. Hardly any burnt tips on this one.

Truly incredible photos everyone!

Finally found a partial view of my Shishigashira JM. I havent had it for very long. I guess I don't have many photos of it in a healthy state, or I simply cant find them? It's to the far left of this photo, a mere 40" tall. See its lovely curling green leaves?




Drought stress and maybe too much sun caused it to defoliate. It now sits safely in bright shade showing lots of signs of returning to it's original state.

All your JM's are beautiful! There are a lot of names I recognize, either because I have them in pots or I had them planted in the ground in CA. But, I have lost the name tags. My only excuse is all my maples are at least 15 years old. The only maples I have acquired since moving to Reno 5 years ago are two Moon Maples and a Vine Maple.

Here are four of my potted JM's, showing summer and fall color - One is "Peaches and Cream" but I'm not sure which as I think the Interweb has some miss-identifications:

Here is my oldest Japanese maple, planted in 2009.

Acer palmatum 'Sumi Nagashi', Common Name: Red Leaf Japanese Maple, Size: 15x15ft., Red leaf, reddish flowers, USDA Hardiness Zone 5.

Japanese Maple. Best w/part sun, morning sun. East of house on fenceline. Good view from house. Clearly, not a fast grower. Trimmed 2012. Vase-shaped when young, but gradually broadens with age. Grows 8-10' tall over the first ten years, maturing to 10-15' tall and wide. Branches may weep at the ends. Palmate leaves to 4in. long are deeply cut into seven (sometimes 9) elongate-ovate lobes with toothed margins & pointed tips. Foliage purple red in spring, deep maroon in summer and bright red in fall. Small reddish flowers in spring are somewhat attractive close up, but not from a distance. 8x6 ft, 2014. About 10x10 ft in 2018.

Here's a 2009 photo



And a 2018 photo