It was too rainy to do anything outside yesterday. So I spent time on the computer and kept looking out the window for signs of sun. As I looked out I was noticing how big our Japanese Maple has grown. This tree was a replacement tree for the beautiful, multi-trunked vine maple that had been there. I remember being out one day about 6 years ago and I got a phone call from my husband. He asked if I noticed the tree seemed like it was leaning a bit when I left. When I returned home I did notice it was leaning. It was right before Halloween and I remember the little homemade ghosts hanging from it at an angle. Well, he pushed on the tree and it fell right over. I don't remember it being windy or rainy then and it's in a very protected corner of the yard.
I was so sad that it had fallen over, everything under it had been planted for shade. I had to move a lot of the plants out because it was just too sunny there.We decided because we loved our Japanese Maple in the backyard we'd like to plant another one. Luckily at the nursery near us there was a very large selection, but they were very expensive. So in 2005 we bought a nice little acer palmatum 'Orido Nishiki' and knew we'd just have to wait for it to grow.
I couldn't find any pictures of it from when we first planted it, but here's a picture of it from May 2008. I actually checked the date several times because I can't believe it grew so fast in one year!
And now here it is today! I just can't believe how fast it's grown. The plant tag says it's 10 year height is 8 feet. It's much taller than that! I guess it likes where it is.
I love how the leaves are variegated. When they are first emerging they even have a bit of pink on them. The new leaf stems are also a reddish-pink.
Sometimes when I buy shrubs and trees in their little containers it seems like they'll never reach their mature height. Now it's fun to look back and try to remember it being so small!
What a beautiful variety this is. It sure must be happy where you have it! I hope you get some sun today.
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful! I have 16 J. maples here, but most all red leafed variety or Sanku Kaku. I have been looking for another different one. This one sure fits the bill. I love it! It must be very happy. I bet the plants under it either now need to be changed out again, or are happy.
ReplyDeleteI love Japanese Maples in any variety and have quite a few already in (or waiting to go in!) my Japanese Garden, but I haven't got on like yours and it's so pretty I may just have to go find one ......back later!
ReplyDeleteForgot to say, yup, BJ is my avatar picture. It was unnerving seeing my face on comments I posted. Had to change it. BJ is a perfect dog. No begging, no running off, no barking except when someone comes or he wants in (does not scratch the door), easy going with everyone. I love him so much. The other three, not so much. They do all the bad things dogs do. Run off, beg, bark, bite (yikes), and can be temperamental. Especially the old one. Gotta watch him. Thanks for asking but you now you know. BJ has a ball in his mouth. His first love-truly. He loves the ball even more than he loves me.
ReplyDeleteThat is so weird that it fell over like that. Especially since it was healthy. Then you have to move everything under it ....ugh! But oh well! Such is gardening :)
ReplyDeleteOh my it has grown a lot in a year. Kind of like trying to remember when your children were small. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is fast! Looks beautiful and happy where it is :). Love that it is variegated!
ReplyDeleteWow! It has grown fast! It must be a testament to your gardening skills!
ReplyDeleteIt sure has grown! Wow! I've always loved Japanese Maples...I think they are just so unique looking. We just may get one afterall :)
ReplyDeleteNormally I don't write wow as a comment, but there is little else that comes to mind! That is simply amazing, the growth in that short time. So much for the tag! The leaf coloration is just beautiful too.
ReplyDeleteFrances
What a gorgeous tree! That IS a lot of growth for one year!
ReplyDeleteIs a tree that grows so quickly considered "soft?" The leaves are beautiful and you are enjoying a nice amount of shade already!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI bet your husband was surprised when the tree fell over. I know I would have been.
ReplyDeleteThe new tree is lovely and it's wonderful that it's doing so well.
What a beautiful tree - I love the varigation and of course the pink in it. Maybe I need one! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt is a good feeling isn't it. My how it has grown in a year. Looks like it doubled in size. Maybe the sun will be back out soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a splendid specimen. I think I'm green (or maybe variegated) with envy. ;-D
ReplyDeleteMildred - It must love where it is, it's just so big now. It's still raining :(
ReplyDeleteTina- I'm going to look around your blog for your maples. We just have one little red one in a planter, I wish I had space for more. I've already started moving the shade plants back, now I'll have to move the sun plants out. Oh well, I like doing that anyway :)
BJ is so cute. I love Goldens, just such sweet dogs. I can't wait for Gracie to be groomed. Maybe I'll do a before and after on her.
Nutty Gnome - I can't wait to see your Japanese garden with all of your trees! Isn't the coloring on this one pretty?
Dirt Princess - It was so weird. It still had its leaves and looked fine. I think I like this tree better now, but the other one was a really nice tree.
Darla - It is kind of like watching your kids grow up. I like my plants bigger, but it makes me a little sad to see my kids get bigger.
Tessa- I checked the date so many times, and I remember I only had the water garden under last spring and then I moved it, so it really has only been one year.
Sheila - I don't think I did anything special for it, although the bed it's in is pretty much all new soil. It must like all the nutrients.
Marissa - You really should. They are pretty year round, definitely a great addition to any garden.
Frances - I do remember thinking at the end of summer that it was finally looking more like a tree than just a big stick. It must've saved all it's growing for last year.
Nat - It's a great tree to look out onto, the birds like hanging out in it too.
Shady Gardener - I tried googling "soft tree". What does that mean? Hopefully it doesn't mean it grew too fast. I don't want to have to get a third tree :)
sweet bay - He was surprised, he just gave it a push and over it went. I still wonder why that happened.
Linda - I do think you need one! The pink is hard to see in the picture, but it's a nice deep pink on the edges of the white part.
Becca - It has practically doubled in size. The one in the back took off growing a couple of years ago when the tree above it was limbed, I always thought Japanese Maples were slow growers.
Kris - Thanks :) It's a pretty nice tree!
Catherine:
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunning tree, but alas this post has confirmed for me that Orido Nishiki is so not the species for my space. I have coveted this gem ever since spotting its wonderful spring growth and the red petioles..... I shall have to come here to admire it from afar!
What a lovely tree! The foliage is wonderful - I do so love variegated foliage, and fast-growing plants and trees!
ReplyDeleteCatherine that is a beautiful tree. And you are right it is really big. I didn't think they usually got that tall.
ReplyDeleteOH Gosh--that is so pretty. I like the variegated leaves too.
ReplyDeleteTeza - If you need one for a smaller space this one probably isn't it. I have room for it to get tall, but really I wasn't expecting it to be anywhere this big so soon.
ReplyDeletePhoenix- I really didn't think they grew this fast. The foliage really is unusual for a Japanese maple.
Susie - I think most are on the smaller side and tend to get wider. This one went up instead of out.
Anna - Thanks, I wish the coloring showed up a little better, but it's pretty close.
How very sad to lose such a handsome tree. Did you ever find out what happened to make it fall over? The new Maple was a very good choice to replace the one that was lost.
ReplyDeleteI would have been devastated too to lose the maple like that. I can just picture you bustling about moving all the plants! I'm glad you found a replacement and what an amazing tree that is to have taken off the way it has. I wonder how much it will grow this year? I just saw a bunch of maples at Lowes and I need to remember the name so I can come home and look them up. I don't have one in my yard but I'd love to...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad something good came of the loss of the first tree. How wonderful that its replacement has grown so quickly!! I love the color and the leaves.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love a tree that is not only beautiful but thrives in your garden? Here you lost a tree that provided shade for the rest of the plantings around it, and then your new tree grows rapidly as if it knew it had to do its' job....and boy howdy, it did!
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed a very nice tree. My Japanese maple is Bloodgood and we like the deep red color. I had never seen one with variegated leaves before today.
ReplyDeleteThat really is amazing growth in one year. I have always envisioned them closer to bonsai in nature than willow. Good job, it must like it's new home!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad your replacement tree is pleasing for you. It is quite something, how some things seem to grow before our eyes.
ReplyDeleteGardengurl09 - We never did figure out what happened, I'd never seen that happen before.
ReplyDeleteKathleen - That next spring is when I started moving everything out. I thought it was shady there from the house as well, but realized it was the tree that gave all of the shade. Hope you can find a nice one!
Ginger - I'm glad it grew quickly too. It looked so tiny when we first put it there.
Kathy - It does almost seem like it had a job to do, and now I can make it more of a shade garden again.
Abe - I love the red of the 'Bloodgood'. Really I like all Japanese maples.
Heather - I always thought they stayed on the smaller side too, but the one in our backyard is huge too.
keewee - It's nice to see, especially since so many things are slow growing and it seems like they take forever to grow.
Looks like you have a lot of fun to look forward to digging in the dirt.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to do some plant shopping !
Wow Catherine - what a beautiful tree, and how much it's grown. Clearly it's very happy in it's new home! You must have some very nice soil. (looks like Japanese maple on steroids!)
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