japanese maple – Page 3

Caladiums denied

Due to extreme weather, Brent and Becky’s Florida supplier of caladiums has determined not to ship any of the Blushing Bride plants that I order. Dismayed as I am to hear this, it just means going back to the online catalog to decide on new plants to grow. I’ve settled on a Snowdrift Astilbe and 3 bulbs of the Picasso calla lily. I only hope this won’t further delay my receipt of these plants. With the warm weather we’ve been having lately, it takes a lot of willpower not to skip work and putter around in the garden all day.

On the other hand, I’m excited to report that my Japanese maple has begun leafing out.

Spring gardening part 1

With the weekend temperatures at a cool 70 degrees, the fiance and I tackled two flower beds, framing them with stone and bricks. We also dug out the weeds and put in compost plus top soil to make the beds receptive to future plantings. Finally, we decided to go with black mulch to better set apart the colorful violas that I finally got around to planting in the front beds. (I had bought another flat of blue violas from Strong’s Nursery that went on sale.) The orange, blues, and whites popped against the dark background. And not to mention, the mulch will be help stifle the weed infestation that overgrew the bare beds. My only regret is that the violas didn’t get more ground time during the last month.

In addition to the new violas, I also planted a bag of lily of the valley, purchased from Home Depot. While the packaging advertised 16 plants, I discovered 2 sprouting bundles in the bag (similar to daylily rhizomes), which I quickly put into the front flower bed. It is supposedly a shade-loving plant, and further research indicated that this plant may actually grow like a weed under optimum conditions.

Speaking of weeds, I went ahead and invested in a spreader, plus a bag of weed killer. Unfortunately the yards are overgrown with weeds, not having enough turf to prevent it. But with the sudden onset of rain this weekend, I haven’t had time to apply it.

I’ve convinced the fiance to try a kalmia latifolia in the corner bed by the door, instead of the originally planned azalea. I had already made an online purchase for the Olympic Fire variety, but soon learned that Musser Forests in Pennsylvania was prohibited in shipping to Texas. Interesting. I’m going to have to find a local source somewhere…

Last thing to report…my japanese maple Asahi Zuru is showing signs of life. Green buds have begun to emerge from their red shells. This is exciting news, given that last year, the maple hadn’t leafed out this early. It seems that sitting by the patio door getting some morning sun has encouraged it to sprout early. I’m contemplating replanting in a bigger pot to help it spread its roots some more.

Pondering the winter garden

As the evidence of fall starts coloring the landscape, I am in a frame of mind to garden once again. My pending move to a house with a yard has lent some excitement to the notion of planting flower bulbs in the ground. Off and on, I’ve been browsing the internet looking for good deals on daffodils, lilies and other flowering options.

I had an opportunity to give my Japanese maple some TLC 2 weekends ago. I suspect that watering neglect gave cause for it to brown over 50% of its foliage. The fiance did get a drill to start punching holes in the bottom of its pot so that I could give it a good drenching. I also added more soil material to cover some exposed roots.

However with the weather turning colder, I wonder if it’s too late to add any fertilizer to the pot. I realize that when I originally potted the maple, it received half a pot of garden soil and another half of compost. Since most sage advice regarding Japanese maples forbid the use of fertilizer late into the fall, I will withhold and hope that the maple will survive the winter and rebloom next spring.

Oddly enough, the tree has shown some new growth in the last month or so, most shooting near the top of the tree and in other various spots.

What’s wrong with my maple?

Is it leaf burn, too much water, or a lack of feeding? My Asahi zuru is displaying browning on its mottled leaves, which appears to radiate from the leaf center. I’m repositioning it into full shade to see if it will help banish what I suspect is leaf burn. Variegated japanese maples are supposedly sensitive to the heat than most cultivars, so I am hoping this is the case here. Pulling it into the patio shade will also distance itself from the water sprinkler, though I seriously doubt this is a case of overwatering. I haven’t yet fed this maple since it I got it…perhaps its time to research its diet. In any case, I’ve also had to prune a topmost branch since it looked and felt dried out. I hope this isn’t the beginning of the end…

Strolling through the nursery

A visit to The Plant Market in Dallas, TX yielded a bounty of colorful pictures. Some of the most memorable sights are their azaleas and roses, which are fiercely blooming and scenting the air around the nursery. Also most of their japanese maples are in full leaf, a fiery display of reds and greens. Among some of the candidates I wanted to take home: I found a Harvest Lemon Chiffon Heuchera that I found attractive and about the right size to add to my purple planter box. However I’m still holding out for a variegated mondo grass.