Japanese Maples
- Subject: Japanese Maples
- From: Bobbi Diehl d*@INDIANA.EDU
- Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 14:26:15 -0500
Hello, Kay and all,
I shared Kay's e-mail with my friend Carolyn Harstad, author of the new
book GOT SHADE? (it's a discussion of midwestern shade plants from IU
Press), and she had this to say. She asked me to keep her informed of the
ongoing discussion. She still loves these trees, even though her new
garden is too cold to grow them. Her book treats both A. japonicum and
palmatum, since both are hardy into zone 5. As most of us know, cultivars
tend to be less hardy than the plain species. The latter (A. palmatum) is
what I grow, so this is all I have to contribute.
Bobbi Diehl
Bloomington, IN
zone 5/6
************************
Carolyn writes:
The two Japanese Maple species I covered in Got Shade? are indeed hardy in
zone 5. At the end of the description, I wrote "As long as your planting
area is favorable to Japanese Maples, plant one . . . anyone. Anywhere."
Which I suppose can be read that ALL Japanese Maples are hardy in Zone 5. So
perhaps I shouldn't have phrased it just like that. The disclaimer (if you
can call it that) is "As long as your planting area is favorable"--and in my
books, that includes everything. Soil, pH, zone, light, moisture, you name
it. As the realtors say "Location, location, location." And zone hardiness
is a critical part of that.
I certainly do not have a total knowledge of the growing requirements of
each and every Japanese Maple available, especially cultivars which are
often less hardy than the species. Some of the less hardy Japanese Maples
may winter kill in colder climates, but often you can create a
"microclimate" to grow more tender varieties if you feel like fussing with
that option.
I would wager that most gardeners in Zone 5 have the highest success rate
with Acer japonicum and Acer palmatum, rather than with their cultivars, but
who knows? There may be extreme winters when even that statement is proven
false. Most of the time, they do just fine in Zone 5, but we always have to
recognize the fact that Japan's climate is more forgiving than Indiana's--
which is why I also said "give them some shelter in colder regions."
I think Kay's idea for an article on Japanese Maple hardiness is a good one.
To get input from people who have successfully grown a number of these
beautiful plants would really be an interesting and valuable study and would
certainly be very helpful to Zone 5 gardeners. I wish they were hardy here
because I do love them, but alas, my Zone 4 Minnesota garden is not the
place for those lovely plants.
Please share any insights you get from your email group with me. And I will
look forward to reading a finished article on what Kay discovers.
Carolyn Harstad
