Home About Us Map and Directions Availability Quick Picks Shantung Maples Growing Maples Maple News Contact Us Newsletter Sign-Up Maples on the Move Tree Basics FAQ More Maples

 

Metro Maples - Maples On The Move 2011:  
  (click here to see pictures of Maples on the Move 2007)                  (Maples on the Move 2008)                        (Maples on the Move 2009)

Feb 1, 2011 - Welcome.  Check this web page often for the ongoing story of maple trees at Metro Maples, Fort Worth, Texas.   Today we unloaded bareroot maples in the sleet in sub-zero wind chills.  La nina didn't produce warmer weather as expected so I'll start off the year with things I look at indoors.  Left - A snow globe featuring a laceleaf Japanese maple.  Center - Last fall a generous customer gave me a stained glass rendition of my patented tree, Acer truncatum 'Fire Dragon'.  Right - My Mom found this precious stone maple in 1998 before discovery of 'Fire Dragon'®.  But look how amazingly close the leaf shape and colors are to the actual spring leaf, lower right.
Feb 9, 2011 - More snow and strong north winds but the maples are fine.  Left - Convincing close-up of 'Fire Dragon'® Shantung trunk with only 18 months of training.  The moss is green in my warm greenhouse.  Center - First picture of 'Micro Dragon' Shantung.  This test plant was a seedling last year with extremely small leaves and is now in the greenhouse to ensure its survival until a backup is propagated.  Spring growth is just now emerging and is very red.  That's a blue pencil in the pot for scale.  It is way too soon to know how this tree will turn out.    Right -  'Beni Kawa' are very red from last year's vigorous growth and all the cold weather.
Feb 19, 2011 - Last week's 10 degrees is replaced with 82 degrees.  Left - Warm day and night temperatures got the Koi out of hibernation.  Center - The shape of 'Fire Dragon'® after 12 years.  I can't get the whole tree in the picture from this angle anymore.  Right - The warm greenhouse has this 'Baby Dragon' Shantung growing with nice color too.  I grafted several of these to start  production on this very cool dwarf.
Feb 21, 2011 - Left - Terminal buds showing both red and yellow color on a Shantung test plant in the greenhouse.  Center - A first year shoot and lower buds on the same Shantung also has two colors.  Some shoots that were not completely hardened off before the cold show color while the majority in our climate are brown and grey.  Interestingly, compare the colors to last year's spring leaves in the small picture in between.  Right - 'Shin deshojo' Japanese maple showing many small twigs from last summer's pruning.
Mar 5, 2011 - I'm back from a visit near beautiful Florence, Italy for my daughter's graduation only to hurt my knee, but I hobbled around in a cast to get these pictures.  Left - Hubble says it has been very warm while I was away and the plants all show that,  like this early blooming Rhododendron.  Center - 'Murasaki kiyohime' is always early but the colorful edges are muted from the warm temperatures.  Right - A very early azalea called Festive is about to open.  Things should really pop next week.  We've got many things to do like fertilizing, liming, pruning, weeding, and the most exciting will be planting our 'Fire Dragon'® seeds from last fall, all while trying to get my knee better.
Mar 6, 2011 - Some early maples.  Left - An upright dwarf called 'Goshiki kotohime'.  Center - My 'Shin deshojo' bonsai taken out of the greenhouse and is growing rapidly.  Right - One gallon 'Orange Dreams'.  Metro Maples has lots of trees and warm sand so temperatures last night only got down to 34 degrees.
Mar 8, 2011 - Left - A busy day planting over 5,000 Shantung seeds and talking with 45 master gardeners.  Center - My 'deshojo' bonsai comes out of the greenhouse displaying exceptionally red leaves.  Right - My 'Sharp's Pygmy' bonsai has tiny red blooms, and I wish I had something else with pollen for hybridizing.
Mar 10, 2011 - Left - Shantung test plant 'TARP Dragon' is full of leaves even after living in a very small pot all of last year.  Center - Japanese maple 'Wilson's Pink Dwarf' is also early and is a different spring color from any other maple I have.  Right - Test Shantung Dwarf #4 has some neat 1" size leaves and good spring color.
Mar 11, 2011 - Very dry, warm, and windy but spring in Texas is always unpredictable.  Left - This 'Butterfly' leaf has pink, white, and a dot of green.  Center - 'Orange Dream' fully open and today it must be the brightest leaf on our planet,  and 'Higasayama' with yellow unfurling leaves and red bud sheaths.  Right - 'Deshojo' from the side, 3 days later.
Mar 13, 2011 - Trying out a new camera.  Left - My hybrid of Mikawa x Moonrise #2 starting its 4th year and has always had this spring color.  Center - 'Bonsai Dragon' with spring colors.  I grafted 6 tiny pieces of wood to try and get some vigorous growth for cuttings later in May.  Right - I found this unusual and colorful Japanese maple seedling underneath my large Chaulk maple.  There are maple seedlings coming up everywhere.  Please watch your step!
Mar 15, 2011 - Left - 'Aratama' is a red dwarf that is now maroon but in a few more days should be bright wine-red.  Center - A lot of the maples are just getting growing but some of my favorite early azaleas are in bloom.  This bi-color Huang azalea is loaded with stripes of purplish-red.  Right - 'Ueno yama' is a good Japanese maple for early orange color.  Cloudy skies today so colors are not so vibrant.
Mar 17, 2011 - Left - Lots of blooms on this 'Fire Dragon'® Shantung and the leaves are already coming out due to the hot weather.  Center - 'Butterfly' Japanese maple over Koi pond.  Right - Lots of cream but not much peach on 'Peaches 'n Cream'.
Mar 18, 2011 - Hot and windy and 70 days since the last rain.  My greenhouse was 101 degrees today with the door open and outside it was around 90 degrees for the second straight day.  Left - Spring colors are affected in some varieties like 'Orangeola' which is brown-red this year, while the yellow maples in the background look normal.  Center - Azaleas blooms are not long lasting in these conditions.  Right - My 'Waterfall' dissectum growing well surrounded by its new stone retaining wall.
Mar 21, 2011 - Unprecedented weather continues.  Even during the 2 year drought of 2005-06 we had rain in February and March and had less wind and more breaks of cooler weather.  Left - Red Emperors looking very good and still enjoying the sun as the oaks are not leafing out yet.  Center - It took much longer to germinate the 5,000 Shantung seeds but here come the brave littles maples.  So far a lot of orange colors.  Right - 'Baby Dragon' grafts took well so we will have some for sale next fall.  This is the original dwarf Shantung I discovered in a 1994 seedling batch and it will grow very fast on a regular Shantung rootstock while retaining the small leaves and weeping habit.
Mar 23, 2011 - Left - A scene from the Shrine Garden.  I originally intended to keep this area simple but I over planted as usual.  Center - I don't recall ever having seen a Shantung seed with red cotyledons so maybe something new and exciting is coming into life.  Right - A scene from a sales area where the winds have finally calmed down, but it is going to take a few more days to get the maples happy again.
Mar 24, 2011 - Another new camera.  This time 18 mega pixels and HD video so stay tuned for a Metro Maples video tour as soon as I get it figured out.  Left - Aratama, a red dwarf Japanese maple with yellow and red fall colors.  Center - One of the coolest azaleas in bloom is this Shizu no mai.  Right - This Pixie a neat color.
Mar 25, 2011 - Not a drop of rain makes this March the dryest ever recorded.  Left - ShirazzTM, was 'Maple Rookie of the Year' in 2010 and is not dissapointing this spring.  Center - My hybrid #2 of Mikawa yatsubusa x MoonriseTM is holding an orange color.  Right - Here's the seed parent, Mikawa yatsubusa.
Mar 27, 2011 - Cold weather arrives so the plants get some relief and will look even better this week.  We have been battling the heat, wind, and drought and now only the drought is in our way towards perfection.  Left - Azalea blooms everywhere you look.  Center - 'Orange Dream' Japanese maple is spectacular among the pink flowers.  Right - Can you find a prettier bloom in all the metroplex than this Rhododendron 'Peppermint Twist'?
Mar 29, 2011 - Cloudy, cool and misty, but no rain that soaked in to the roots.  Left - 'Shirazz'TM  reds are changing to green in sections.  Center - A test Shantung that is 5 years old with leaves that are two tones of green, white, and pink.  I was successful in getting this grafted so now I can further study this tree on a vigorous rootstock.  Right - This appears to be an unusual branch sport on Japanese maple 'Seigen'.
Mar 30, 2011 - Cold.  We're very busy fertilizing, watering, potting, selling.  Left - Test your prunning skills.  We have some very nice 'Pixie' columns for sale but you'll need to keep pruning to maintain this shape.  Center - Unbelievable 5" pink and white azalea blooms in cascade style to see.  Right - 'Moonfire' is on fire among the many nice Viridis 10 gal we have.
Apr 3, 2011 - Another weird, windy and hot day but if you give your maples a little help they will give you all they got.  Left - MoonriseTM  in the morning dusty skies.  Left center and right - Only two -5' Mikawas and two 4' Sharp's Pygmy's are left to find a home, and they are both so slow growing I don't know when I'll be able to have big ones again.  Right - Only one 5' Orange Dream is available.  I have to grow this great maple as the Oregon farmer's don't grow it.  Bottom - Many of my favorites azaleas are starting to bloom.  Many are 2 to 4 weeks early this year.  Think it is going to rain?  My experience says the wind will blow apart any rain clouds.
Apr 4, 2011 - What a difference a day (and rain) makes.  Windy as all-get-out, but now from the north, and it brought an inch of much needed rain.  The first since January 9th.  Left - My bi-color Shantung hybrid (name not released yet) had a slower than usual start and is a bright yellow once again.  Center - 'Fire Dragon'®  Shantungs also were off to a slow start but suddenly turned lustrous dark green and new shoots doubled in thickness in a matter of hours after the rain.  Right - Close-up of bi-color Shantung maple.
Apr 6, 2011 - Variegation is becoming more clear on 'Mildred's Dragon' Shantung.  This cultivar and others are in the running for Maple Rookie of the Year.  Details under More Maples button.  Center - Hubble hurrying to pot the many February Shantung grafts in an effort to get our full growth potential of 3 or 4 feet the first year.  Right - Beautiful leaves on Red Emperor but colors already look more like summer than early spring. 
Apr 9, 2011 - Some interesting colors.  Left - 'Shirazz'TM shown again, now with greens appearing.  Center - My dwarf hybrid #3.  Right - 'Aka shigitatusawa' an unusual red, very different from all the other colors.
Apr 10, 2011 - Rhododendron 'Anah Krustchke' (center) I bought in 1986.  I moved it to my mom's house in 1989 when I moved to Texas.  My cat which lived to 23 years old fell off a 2 story porch and broke-off the back side of it.  I moved it to Arlington in 1999 when Mom died.  I moved it to the farm in 2006.  I had this Rhodie 26 years and this is the first time it has bloomed 3 weeks early.  Center - Picture of test Shantung 'Micro Dragon' which will fight it out for Maple Rookie of the Year.  Right - This Rhodie is just cracking open and it might have basketball size trusses.  At least it does at my friend's gardens in Arkansas.  It lives near my 'Fireglow' I bought in 1993.
Apr 12, 2010 - Feels like spring is back.  Left - Tree frog living on a Red Emperor.  Maybe he's color blind.  He would blend in better on a green bark maple.  Center - 'Baby Dragon' Shantungs growing.  Right - Finally joining the party and just leafing out are the Autumn Blaze maples.
Apr 15, 2011 - Left - Made a new category for my notebook.  Beyond Ridiculous Winds (BRW) is what I called today's 30mph to 59 mph gusts for hours on end.  It has been the windiest and driest spring ever.  Note the still dormant buds on last year's long shoots that have not come out, as they have always done in the past, due to the many windy days at the wrong time.  Center - Acer palmatum doing well in this small homemade concrete pot.  I wish all my containers were concrete to keep them from blowing over.  Right - Thousands of 'Fire Dragon'® Shantung seeds await potting.

Apr 17, 2011 - Left - Azaleas from Japan are in bloom.  Center - My 2 decade old 'Tama hime' enjoying some passing sun among the rhododendrons.  Right - Trusses are only big cantaloupe size.  To get the basketball size trusses I'll need to move up north.
Apr 21, 2011 - Ridiculous winds have stopped and the trees get some relief.  Left - 'Fire Dragon'® Shantungs covered all morning in mist and are finally sending out new shoots.  Center - My Bi-color Shantung and grafts also with new growth everywhere.  Right - 'Baby Dragon' seems to be always growing, yet stays small, and the new growth on all the Shantungs can be a brighter red if temperatures stay nice.  I love this time of year when things are growing and it is not too hot or windy.
Apr 25, 2011 - Hey a little more rain last night, but the winds are still annoying.  Left - 'Shaina' starting bright red new growth.  Center - Here's one of the better growers with colorful leaves from the collection of Shantung dwarfs I pulled out to evaluate from last year's seed crop.  Right - Great time to prune azaleas, maples, or Shantungs.  You can expect new growth in 7 to 14 days.
Apr 29, 2011 - Forties all day in Seattle and Chicago, but in Texas today the weather was perfect.  Left - Incredible blue skies above 'Fire Dragon'® growth.  Center - Trunk-chopped 'Baby Dragon' is in its 4th year and already way over an inch in caliper.  Right - Beautiful weather gives me a moment to witness the new growth on my Japanese maple creation which is a Mikawa yatsubusa hybrid with red spring and orange summer colors.
May 2, 2011 -  Here's some maples to lighten-up a very dark day which produced over 3 inches of rain.  Left - Creamy white leaves of 'Butterfly'.  Center - Shantung test plant with orange and greenish-yellow leaves.  Right - One of our spring favorites,  'Orange Dream'.
May 6, 2011 - Nice weather all week.  Now some updates.  Left - I've showed you this Nishiki Gawa last year when we cut the major branch at the bend to get some taper to the trunk.  Two weeks ago we cut back the other branch and now are getting new buds.  It once was 4 feet tall and is on its way down to less than1 foot.  Center - A 5 foot  'Fire Dragon'® Shantung was miraculously put into this small rectangle pot in August 2008 and is still doing fine.  Right -'TARP Dragon' has beautiful leaves in a 10 inch green pot and is another Shantung test plant that still appears to be a smaller selection.
May 11, 2011 - Windy the last five days but rain and nice weather is here. Left -  'Fireglow', a favorite red upright I have had since 1992.  Center - Scott and I enjoy playing with bonsai maples when we have time.  This 'Coonora Pygmy' was air-layered last fall and is very happy.  It still has some yellow spring color and is getting pink edges on the new growth.  Right - Last weekend to see Satsuki flowers.
May 15, 2011 - Still great weather.  Left - 'Baby Dragon' getting new red leaves after defoliation in a bonsai pot.  Center - 'Fire Dragon'® looks great but seems to have stopped growing new leaves.  A  nursery executive happened to be driving along Dick Price and saw the sign and came in.  His very large California nursery is now going to grow this tree.  Right -' Red Filigree Lace' keeps a purple-red color but it has looked so good we are now sold out of this one.
May 22, 2011 - 'Baby Dragon' bonsai leaves turned bronze.  Here is the whole thing with rock, moss, and grazing American bison.  Center - 'Kozan no hikari' azalea is a perfect shape without pruning much and is one of only 5 that bloomed after the 2005 sudden freeze.  I'll have about 7 more of these to sell  in a few more years to.  Right - 'Nishiki Gawa', shown previously on May 6, has tons of new growth.  I am now pinching the growth after the second set of leaves to get even more dormant buds to emerge.
May 27, 2011 - Happy Memorial Day.  Thanks to our military for protecting our country where individual freedom can pursue happiness and create and sell exciting new Shantung maple trees like these:  Left to right -' Fire Dragon'®, 'Doric Dragon',  Test Shantung Bi-color, 'Blaine's Dragon', 'Golden Dragon',  'Baby Dragon'.
June 3, 2011 - 'Beni schichihenge' is one of my favorites and we have some 6 foot tall for only $45.  The catch is this maple reverts to all green requiring pruning or leave it alone and you'll still have the very reddest small-leaf Japanese maple in the fall.  The one shown is the one I'm keeping for propagating as this rooted cutting has never reverted to green.  See 'Availability' page for more sale maples.  Center - 'Hefner's Red', a leading Maple Rookie of the Year candidate, is growing in the sun while the other is holding a dark purple in the shade.  Right - This' Butterfly' is usually an off-white this time of year but the extra potassium I've used must have made it this greenish-white.
June 10, 2011 - Hot and windy like last year.  left - 'Deshojo' loaded with new growth in the morning sun.  Center - Another Maple Rookie of the Year candidate is this 'Micro Dragon' Shantung which has been growing steadily but is still very small.  Right - 'Shishigashira' is on the north side of my patio roof but this time of year gets a few hours of afternoon sun.
June 12, 2011 - Left - I love miracles.  Is this one?  Scott and I have watched my hybrid #6 put out the smallest leaves I have ever seen on a Japanese maple, on every branch, since early May.   Vertrees states that you will not see the true seedling until at least 3-4 years old.  This one is now just over 4.  Center - Another great moment for this Shantung that I plan on patenting:  the orange spring growth is changing to red in June just like it has done every year.  Right - I'm still watching lots of 'Fire Dragon'® dwarf seedlings grow and hoping for red fall color.  I hope to hybridize these Shantungs to get a yellow leaf dwarf although I have yet to get a 'Baby Dragon' to bloom.
June 17, 2011 - Very hot and that blasted wind is back.  Left - We are reorganizing and repotting the whole area that holds the small Japanese maples.  Center - This interesting new seedling is growing good and staying red so I put a pole next to it so I wouldn't step on it.  Right - We have some 9 tree Trident Maple forest looking for a good home.
June 23, 2011 - Five days of 30+mph winds, day and night, and still bone dry at Metro Maples although many places got record rainfall yesterday.  Left - Constructing water dams to ensure some garden maples are getting wet.  Center - 'Crimson Prince' is a newer, more vigorous, Crimson Queen, that is also more green in summer.  Right - 'Cork Dragon', despite great care, will not put out summer growth.  Our first grafts are also not growing, leading me to believe this test cultivar has determinate growth (spring) only.  Also the spring shoots are already creating some rough bark.  Normal Shantung shoots are smooth for several years.
June 24, 2011 - Left- Shantung seedlings are unusually small for this time of year because of drying winds and lack of rain.  Center - Soon I will be writing the patent application on this Shantung which are growing great because they have a high priority to receive my well water.  Right - We've got Paul, a Martin High School student, to help us get things organized this summer.
July 1, 2011 - The worst Texas drought of all time and the 2nd hottest June is finally over.  We had only .2" rain, our lowest June total ever.  Left - The 5 days and nights of hot winds with temps of 100 to 104 degrees combined with broken water wells and a high nutrient charge,  has caused some 'Fire Dragons'® to burn.  Sadly, it is looking like our fall harvest now might not take place until the dormant season.  Center - A beautiful color on one of our Japanese maples called 'Nuresagi'.  Right - My 'Waterfall' now has a big branch in training to grow between two large oaks.
July 5, 2011 - Forty-six days since a good rain and many natives like poison ivy and sumac are now turning fall colors.  Left - My Japanese maple hybrid #8 looks like a little red growth is starting to come out.  Center - 'Emerald Lace' is growing but not as fast as last year.  Right - I've learned that 'Sharp's Pygmy' is a good grower when grafted and given some fertilizer, water, and a little sun.  I'm now concentrating on finding some water to give my trees in the ground a long, deep watering.
July 8, 2011 - 'Baby Dragon' Shantung, a future introduction, displays red July growth, the same as last year.  This year I got red from lots of irrigation.  Last year we had lots of rain in July (see More Maples - Best Pictures for last year's great July shot.).  Center - A rising star among the many new dwarf Shantungs that are expected to be red in the fall is this one which has a nice small leaf different from 'Baby Dragon'.  You can see the weeping growth off to the left of the bamboo stake.  Right - Reorganizing the front for our booming retail business.  It was initially designed for a wholesale growing operation.
July 11, 2011 - Worse than the year 2000 drought and heat wave?  Yes, I think so.  Bradford Pears and Crape myrtles are all brown along the interstate while 11 years ago they kept their leaves thru the summer.  I believe the winds are to blame.  Left - No amount of water will keep your coral bark green when grown in sun.  Center - 'Skinny Dragon' seeds are parallel, not a right angle, so this should be a subspecies of Acer truncatum.  No reference is made to this so I'll call it Acer truncatum ssp. Johanssonii 'Skinny Dragon'.  Right - Defoliating some of my maple bonsai to get all new and smaller leaves, plus better fall colors.
July 16, 2011 - Left - In the battle of weather versus plants in the non-irrigated areas we are losing.   My windbreak is injured as this native elm, cherry laurels, nandina and even some ragweed are turning all brown.   None of these occurred in year 2000 even after 110 consecutive days without rain.  Besides the 2nd hottest high temperatures, plants deal with factors like humidity, wind, nighttime temperatures, rain and the timing of the rain, pollution, cloud cover, soil type and slope.  Current dry streak at 59 days.  In the irrigated maple area we are in trench warfare.  Just enough well water and manufactured water to hold the line and wait for reinforcements.  Center - 'Mikawa yatsubusa' sport discovered last year is doing great and still displaying smaller and lighter colored leaves and slower growth.  Right - The green Japanese maples  ('Nishiki Gawa' shown) are needing much less water than the red leaf varieties.
July 22, 2011 - Day 64.  Since June 1 it has been over 94 degrees every day except for one and that one was only 91degrees.  This is the first time I have seen the  native redbuds turn brown.  Left - The most unbelievable result of our heat is this 'Fire Dragon'® that had irrigation and looks healthy but the little pruning scar from the middle of May has not moved much at all.  Normally this would have been just about healed over by now.   Center - Our Japanese maples in the shade are doing good but Seiryu and the Japonicums seem especially drought tolerant.  Right - This red leaf seedling is still alive after several excavations by armadillos.
July 24, 2011 - The unrelenting drought has got me going back and looking at colorful maple books and pictures, much like I do to get through the winter.  So, if you're a little bored like me then maybe you'll find this new story a little entertaining.  It's a remake of an old western "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", this time starring maples.  Left - This good 5 year old Mikawa seedling is doing great in this tiny pot, and has fattened-up this last month.  That's a quarter in the pot for scale.  Center - Bad news for all my Rhodies that got any direct sun.  Right - This ugly mess is part of my windbreak and consists of cherry laurel, nandina, and elms.  Stay tuned for daily updates.
July 25, 2011 - Good news on these Shantung cultivars in 2 gallons.  I moved them last week to get shade by 2:00 pm and they are already looking better and starting to grow again.  That 2-5 pm sun is bad for everything, especially anything in a pot.  Center - Bad news on 'Fire Dragon's® in the ground.  The system of watering only a 4 foot circle around the base did not keep them from some burn this year.  Besides spreading roots that haven't been wet for 66 days, the surrounding dry sand does not dissipate any heat and is as hot as asphalt.  Right - This ugly tree is one of several Blackjack oaks that have gone to the great forest in the sky.
July 26, 2011 - This morning we had the highest overnight temperature ever recorded (see Tree Basics).  Left - Lots of Japanese maples are lookin' good in our shade (I've heard reports that many other nurseries have burnt theirs),  but none with less burn than our Shishigashiras.  It's very heat tolerant  with crinkled leaves and awesome late fall colors.  'When are fall colors' is the most often question right now.  Hey with this kind of weather we might have fall colors any day now, ha ha.  Center - Nothing I've tried has helped our Shantung seedlings to grow this year and now some are withering away while many more look bad and will not be big enough to graft upon.  They were just too small and never had a chance with our wind and high temperatures last spring.  Right - In all my life I've never seen ragweed so ugly and totally dead from any drought.  So now The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly begins.
July 27, 2010 - Back up to 105 today.  Left - I've been a little concerned with a favorite 'Fire Dragon'®  bonsai (see its amazing start on Maples on the Move 2008, Sept.).  I pinched all the leaves 21 days ago not expecting this much horrible weather, but now every terminal is growing good and there are even a few dormant buds expanding.  However, I've been watching the temperature gauge and had to move this maple farther back into the shade for a couple of days now as it wasn't totally happy at 96+ degrees in the morning!  Center - I've always planned to take out the corkscrew willow (left) as Mother 'Fire Dragon'® (behind center) grows, but it was bad to see the willow suddenly die.  Now we've got to figure out a way to shade 'Crimson Queen' and others below it.  Right - Japanese maples have an unique and effective way of dealing with this awful weather.  They burn quickly thus saving their reserve energy.  The Arizona cypress shown above didn't burn but tried to tuff out the Texas drought.  Its reserves gone, now just another ugly dead plant.
July 28, 2011 - Left - Good proof that Shantungs take the heat.  Mother 'Skinny Dragon' growing  with irrigation every 4 days despite the hot weather.  It is planted on a south and west facing slope in a very windy and hot area.  Center - My fault for getting some bad burn on a few azaleas that I fertilized too heavily right before it turned hot.  The burn is on the spring leaves which fall off anyway later in the year.  Right - Water infiltration can be an ugly issue with compacted or salt affected soils.  My dry sand certainly repels water and has dry areas even after heavy rains.  Soaker hoses may be the answer but remember water travels mostly straight down.   
July 29, 2011 - Left -   'Baby Dragon' in dawn's early light.  This one started good growth after I realized that this small tree had roots growing out into the road that needed water.   Center - It's not as bad when your Bur oak you grew from seed gets fall color instead of  just turning brown.  This tells you the tree had enough energy to seal off the leaf before dropping it, which is normal.  Right - I saved this native plum from a gas pipeline 4 years ago but even with some of my water it looks ugly.  Record heat is coming next week.  I have 2 strategies.  The very healthy, dark green ones, are getting a product called Superthrive.  The weaker ones are staying a little dry now, and will be watered heavily next Monday.
July 30, 2011 - Left - The good news is that it can't get any drier than it already is, and 'Moonrise'TM  stays a nice yellow-green color even in the hottest of years.  Last week we set the all-time record high for the low of the day.  Center - Native bigtooth maples, a sub-species of  Sugar Maples, are very tough but some of them are starting to get some bad burn but everything without water and in the sun is going to burn this year.  I hope the old ones survive in Lost Maples Park, west of Austin.  Right - Outside my gate are non-irrigated Shantung (left, starting to lose some green color) and 'Autumn Blaze' (right with the ugly burn). I used to grow/sell both bigtooth and Autumn Blaze but ran out of water and room and have put everything into my Shantungs.  I have dealt with growing plants in hot weather for over 25 years and thus have a long-term forecast which calls for rain starting on August 12th.
July 31, 2011 - July is over and the weather was the big story:  rainfall was zero, every day at or above 100 degrees (30 is the official number), 72 days since a good rain, the highest nighttime temperatures ever, but at least the wind has stopped.  Left - I'm running out of trees to show you that are growing good, but Mother 'Fire Dragon'®  has 3 spots of red growth on top, up around 24 feet high.  Unfortunately, the ones to sell in black pots have lost a half year's growth.  Center - This isn't  bad but just a precaution on this test Shantung to see its fall color, as the ones left in the sun might burn.  Right - Another ugly loss in my windbreak area but I never give up without a fight so I will be watering this area with my deep well and 500 feet of hoses all this week.  The water is high in sodium but it will be better than no water at all.  The natives, including the oaks, should be turning fall colors all this week along Dick Price Road but the color is going to be brown.  Those of you north of I-20 had some June rain and with clay soils you won't see that happening just yet.
Aug 1, 2011 - Left -  'Fire Dragon'® grafts were potted and put in shade last April.  Usually they go into full sun but our decision to shade them turned out good this year.  By the way, it was 101.5 degrees at noon today.  The rule of thumb is that leaf temperature is usually above the air temperature and damage generally occurs around 115 degrees but there are many other factors involved, like the duration of the heat, water content, and the species involved.  Center - This Acer negundo is a native maple in the DF/W area.  This one is just south of our new bridge on Dick Price Rd and has pretty nice fall color right now.  It's not a bad tree and is perfect along creeks to hold the soil.   Right - Scott built this engineering marvel to help our koi but I think its ugly.  Warm water does not hold as much oxygen so this extra pump is needed.  
Aug 2, 2011 - The real heat story is the dozens of record high overnight temperatures.  These are worse to the plants than the daytime highs.  I learned a lot of this from Rhododendron scientists and 'heat stroke in tree' research.  Left - Bonsai doing good and enjoying morning sun at 97 degrees at 10:30 am.  Center - Another Scott built engineering marvel.  This one used our survival knife to fix our mobile watering sprinkler peg that was broken-off when pushing it into the bad hard soil.  What he can do with duct tape is amazing.  Right - I gave up watering this Ginkgo 2 months ago and now have the opportunity to see if it will survive an ugly Texas summer.  Ginkgo was the only tree to regenerate after a 1945 atomic bomb.
Aug 3, 2011 - This Rhodie is doing very good in bright light but thank God it's not direct sun like it used to get.  Metro Maples does the impossible with only about 4,000 gal/day of water while a nursery just north of us has less plants and is using 60,000/day to keep things green.  Yes we have some fashionably brown leaves this year as we depend on rain, but we are still expecting the best fall ever.  Center -  Here's what a heat stroke Shantung looks like.  The dark green is gone revealing some of the yellow pigments.  Root growth has totally stopped due to the lack of photosynthesis for several weeks that all started with 5 days of hot winds, then high temperatures, and zero rain.  The next step after this could be brown spots or early fall color.  Right - It's official, Moonfire color in extreme heat equals Fireglow but we just sold the last 10gal, but do have some 25gal.
Aug 4, 2011 - Another record high as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly comes to a close.  Ranchers and farmers in Texas will lose 8 billion dollars from the worst drought in history.  A loss as great as hurricane Andrew, yet I've not heard any of them asking for any help.   They will rebuild.  This is like a modern day Dust Bowl except this time people are moving into our drought ridden state.   Left - Even though this willow is a loss we adapted and moved in 5 Shantungs to shade our Japanese maples.  Center - New life emerges from out of the burnt leaves.  Right - Look at all the maples full of life.  There really wasn't any bad, or ugly, only good as we didn't lose anything significant and we became stronger and more experienced from having survived the greatest heat wave of all time.  It can now be said that Metro Maples has gone faster and farther, with the worst heat and wind, and the least amount of water, than anyone before.  THE END.
Aug 4, 2011 - I almost forgot to roll the movie credits.  Left - I feel very proud and privileged to have Scott Hubble on our team.  He's watering in 108 degree heat as I can't take it anymore.  Center and Right - I am also so very happy to have these new Shantung cultivars fighting the heat with me which made my time seem worth it.
Aug 13, 2011 - Consecutive streak of 100+ degree days ends at Metro Maples at 44 days.  The other official thermometer had 40 straight days, but it always reports cooler than anybody and most likely is kept next to the ice truck that loads the 747s.  Days since rain got up to 85 days on August 12 before a .5 inch rain early this morning.  Left - Very early morning sun looks great on an Osakasuki trunk.  Center - Small leaves for patent application.  Right - This Paperbark maple is properly situated and is doing reasonably well with irrigation only every 14 to 18 days.  How is our summer research program going?  I don't know since we didn't have summer.   I don't know what you call our last few months but it's not summer.
Aug 19, 2011 - Fires all around Metro Maples but Scott and I, and 3 other neighbors save the maple trees with a 5hp water pump, 800 feet of garden hose, and a sand pit water truck.  Left - the SW corner of the 25 acre blaze was where we were and at least 6 homes were destroyed but nobody was hurt, but 2 dogs are missing.  This is a shot from across the street and we also kept it from destroying Dan Air's home and business to the south.  I think I had the worst job when that owner gave me a hose and told me to keep the fire under control just 10 feet from a propane tank.  Center - This is what's left of the house across from Metro Maples.  Right - Our northern side also burned well into the trees and got within 4 properties to our maple trees.  We have some burnt maples but luckily only from the summer heat. 
Aug 21, 2011 - Endless heat and drought but today I finally feel like I've mastered maples.  The condition of every one of the thousands of maples I have can now be explained with my new Theory of Mapleability.  I can finally look at any of the them and feel that they are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing.  The story really starts 26 years ago with the Rhodies where success came from concentrating on getting and keeping healthy roots.  The heart and lungs of  trees is the root system, everything centers around them, which is something most people ignore since they are not seen.  Left - 'Neglected Dragon' Shantung maple (yes, still  neglected but even the oak in the background needs water).  It survived all summer of 1998 in a 5gal in full sun without irrigation, yet came back nicely in the fall of that year.  Center - Besides learning from neglected burn and several other ways of causing burn, you must also learn from your successes.  This 'Skinny Dragon' is still growing and now I know it was also the only tree that was watered properly and no doubt has a healthy root system.  Right - When it comes to maples in a pot this eight year old 'Fire Dragon' is the only perfectly healthy one.  You can see lots of white roots up through the holes which I cannot find on any of the other maples in pots.
Aug 24, 2011 - I get a call every day about dead or stressed trees, even if they weren't purchased at Metro Maples.  I think I'll write up a handout explaining that if any of our trees liked this kind of weather there would be trees in Phoenix.  I have seen every species except mesquite with brown leaves and that includes red oaks, post oaks, elms, magnolias, live oaks, crape myrtles, pines, and even mountain cedars!   Left - 'Tiny Dragon' does not have fingernail sized leaves anymore but now is put into a newly discovered class of Shantungs which will be smaller trees.  I have found 5 so far that only grow 1 foot per year and develop very thick branches and have similar style leaves.  'Cork Dragon' was the original discovery.  Center - Close-up of my yellow Shantung showing color on wood and buds that is very different from other Shantungs. This shoot is from May and is in the process of turning all brown.  Younger shoots are yellow and smooth.   Trademark and patent will be filed soon and then I can give you its name.   Right - My little 'Fairy Hair' Japanese maple is doing ok and the tip burn doesn't even show very much on hair-like leaf lobes!  I have keep a lot of maples alive and looking good but I haven't missed a day at the farm for 173 straight days.  Today the local news showed a large American elm that had leaves and fell over and the owner said it didn't have any roots.  They then had experts talking about trees dying and that you should water them, but it's probably too late.  It's like telling a person that is having a heart attack and eating a double cheeseburger and fries to stop eating that and eat some carrots.
Aug 26, 2011 - 67th 100 degree day at Metro Maples, just 2 from the 1980 record.  All our weatherman's eyes are on the "Made for TV Hurricane" but an even bigger story is unfolding right here.  Left - First indication that my new heat stroke theory might work.  This 'Blaine's Dragon' Shantung is growing pretty good although the roots are still not active. Might need cooler weather to complete this historic test.  Except for this full sun Maple Knoll,  I have always used some shade or part sun in my growing experience to grow everything from roses to tomatoes as I don't think anything except cactus really likes full sun In Texas.   Center - Here's something you don't see every day, in fact I've never seen this.  Hurricane's are a dime a dozen but these two mature Eastern Red Cedars, (It's actually a Juniper and can live on cliffs in solid rock), are dead under my neighbor's dead post oaks.  I hope my oaks can survive on the ounce or two of water coming out of my maple pots.  Right - Test dwarf Shantungs from last year's seed crop were moved to the north side of a large 'Fire Dragon'® in early July to increase the survival rate and some are now growing in it's shade.  
Aug 29, 2011 - All time record for days over 100 degrees was smashed at Metro Maples.  We now are at 71 days.  There were 69 days over 100 in the year 1980.  We smashed the all time number of nights above 80 degrees several weeks ago.  Left - Last Rhodie standing in perfect health  is 'City Park'.  This is the most dwarf of all the John Thornton hybrids and is a cross of R. hyperythrum x R. metternichii.  All other Rhodies have some burn or dieback at this point.  Center - Basal lobes on Shantung can be arrow-like like on 'Tiny Dragon'.  Right - I have noticed these 3 Shantungs also with arrow-like basal lobes and they all seem to be slow growing with fat branches.  Also interesting is that 'TARP Dragon' and another test plant have the matching basal lobes, but on a more lobed and toothed leaf, but they too are slower growing.  I speculate that the gene expressing the basal lobes also has something to do with the growth rate of the tree.  
Sept 1, 2011 - Left - Red hot sun rising once again.  June thru July average high temperature at the airport was 101.2 but Metro Maple's average was 102.7 degrees.  Rainfall at the farm was a measly 7/10 inch for the last 3 1/2 months.  So far 11 oaks have died but most are doing better than compared to those out in East Texas since mine are used to lower average rainfall and drought conditions.  Center - This Acer japonicum 'Meigetsu' looks good in a 95gal pot and is a cultivar that closely resembles the species.  Japonicums are found at high elevations but in dry conditions.  Right - Two 'Fire Dragon'® Shantungs in the dry, hot sand with no irrigation at all.  The left one is only slightly burning, the 'Autumn Blaze' in the center is dead, the one on the right is about half burnt now.  Our shallow wells have not been producing much water all year, but this also gives us good heat tolerance data.  
Sept 3, 2011 - 74th day of 100 degree temperatures and maybe the last.  Left - Mother 'Fire Dragon'® on left is doing fine and surrounded by 1 dead willow and 5 dead native oaks.  Droughts have killed trees in the past and will continue to kill trees that don't get water.  Center - www.dilandscape.com and creative use of dwarf Japanese maples 'Shaina' and 'Sharp's Pygmy'.  Right - This Shantung at our front gate is showing a little wear and tear from only having 1 shrub head, but we now know that mature Shantungs do have root systems past their drip lines.
Sept 8, 2011 - Left - The first tree to bounce back from summer's trench warfare is Shantung maple 'Baby Dragon'®.  This might be the most vigorous maple of all time.  Center - Only 1 Shantung in this flat of test plants is recovering.  Small ones like these in sun and in pots were decimated despite irrigation.  Right - Recovery of maples is proceeding slowly despite some of the best early September temperatures in many years.  'Shirazz'TM became dry and in too much sun, but a few leaves are starting to grow.  It might be October before the maples fully recover.
Sept 11, 2011 - Left - No, it's not fog this morning but our 3rd fire nearby.   Center - Bonsai of 'Baby Dragon' Shantung was defoliated only 2 weeks ago and look at all the growth.  Right - Close-up of 'Shin deshojo' that's been in a very small pot for 11 years (about 1/2 quart).  It was defoliated 4 weeks ago and was regrowing nicely when a bug chewed off all the regrowth.  That could easily kill other trees but this Japanese maple is beginning to leaf out again and now looks like it will live.
Sept 15, 2011 - Left - Still bone dry and yesterday's 107 degrees even makes this cactus turn yellow with necrotic areas.   I got this last year from some Weatherford Master Gardeners.  Center - This Shantung was assumed to have died 3 weeks ago from the tremendous heat loads and us not having enough well water for cooling.  It has not been watered for over 2 weeks, but today I notice some dormant buds are emerging on the main trunk.  I told you they are hard to kill.  Right - Have you noticed any early fall colors yet?  Expect many to turn early this year from heat stress.  Hopefully with the arrival of cooler weather the Bigtooth Maples in Lost Maples State Park and all of us will start to see some renewed life in our trees.  However, we could be just 3 weeks away from a frost after seeing all the cold in Minnesota right now.
Sept 17, 2011 - Oh my God it rained.  Maybe the trench warfare is beginning to favor us.  Headline - 'The Summer of Slaughter Is Over!'  Left - Future 'Maple Rookie of the Year' candidate 'Micro Dragon' Shantung alive and had cascading growth and a little burnt from our irrigation water.  You can see the first picture from April 10th above.  Center - My Japanese and Shantung maple hybrids all made it and after one rain the moss is turning green again.  Right - This 5 year old dwarf seedling is in the smallest pot you've ever seen (the one behind and to the left is less than a 1 gallon).  It is alive even after all the heat and after an armadillo knocked it out of it the pot 5 times.  Don't tell me you couldn't keep your maple alive even if you say, as one customer today declared, "It's too damn hot."
Sept 19, 2011 - Left - After showing you 'Neglected Dragon' back on Aug 21 I found some water to try and keep it from dying.  I gave it a good drink when it cooled-off a little on Sept 4th (the only irrigation of the year) and now you can see all the little leaves coming out!  Center - All my new grafts of this yellow Shantung are growing which is the first time I've had any Shantungs growing this far into September.  A 8-9 month slow release fertilizer and water every day did the trick.  Right - I haven't mentioned the loss of many of my collection of azaleas.  This white one was found behind my mom's house in Oklahoma and had somehow lived for 5 years without irrigation.  I brought it to Texas and it has really grown, but now I don't know if it is going to make it.  I learned that some azaleas, like the rhododendrons, will die in this kind of heat despite proper waterings.
Sept 21, 2011 - Scott carries the dead willow off to the ever growing compost pile.  He says he is practicing to carry a future bride over the threshold but hopes she is lighter than this stump and root system.  Center - First picture of mother 'Fire Dragon'® with the willow gone.  The shape is a little upright because of the Trident maple on the left and the ex-willow and oaks.  The Trident will be moved next February as we are redoing the whole area.  Next year there will be an unobstructed view to this 25 foot tall Shantung maple.  Right - Getting some smaller Japanese maples to grow new leaves but it seems painfully slow.  
Sept 24, 2011 - Left - Another way post oaks stay alive thru droughts is by having less leaves to protect.  According to Roy, a math wizard who did the count, this old oak has a 200 year old root system and less leaves than my 14 year old Seiryu (2nd to left).  Right - Norway maple 2 gallon test plants are trying to survive from a complete defoliation down on the dreaded west slope at Metro Maples which can kill just about everything in a pot.  The bark has turned a pink color so I am not certain if these will make it.  Right - Jeri, my wife, knits during a slow Saturday.  Next Saturday come out and buy some maples, then after 2 o'clock we'll all go over to Designs In Nature and get some free food at their Fall Fest.    www.thetreeplace.com
Sept 27, 2011 - Still need the rain.  Left - Tulips in bloom?  This Shantung had it's leaves removed 4 weeks ago to get all new ones but it also has some blooms.  Center - 'Red Filigree Lace' growing new leaves after the hot summer sun scorched them.  We should have some nice 3 gal to sell this November.  Right - My Caddo maple has survived reasonable well with only a few drops of moisture but today I decide to give it a little drink.  Dry trees are not so hardy from early hard freezes.
Oct 1, 2011 - September was sometimes very nice but we still had 12 days over 96 degrees and little rainfall.  Left - An amazing possible new discovery was found on top of a 10 foot Golden Dragon Shantung where this one small stem with two branches had very, very narrow leaf lobes.  I don't see any nutrient problems which could have caused this so maybe it is a branch mutation.  Could it have evolved to lesson the impact of all the winds we had?  I will try to graft some next year and let you know.  Center - 'Neglected Dragon' has gotten some new leaves from one watering in early September.  Right - 'Deshojo' bonsai now growing better after defoliation and with these temperatures it goes back out into some sun to regain some strength before winter.

 
Oct 8, 2011 - Left - Still hangin' in there is this 'Fire Dragon'® (far left).  The 'Autumn Blaze' and regular Shantung maple and Juniper 'Spartan' (right) are all dead in this non-irrigated area.  The gray-blue Texas sage will also make it.  Center - The summer wind, drought, and heat are taking a toll on our Shantung seeds that are trying to ripen.  Right - Most of my new dwarf Shantung maples survived the weather, plus the bug sprays which became toxic on some plants when combined with the heat and sun.  We had several insect attacks as they came out of the dry forest in search of moisture.  I put these special plants in shade in early July which saved them.
Oct 11, 2011 - A good soaking 3.1 " rain last Sunday so my number of continuous working days (mostly watering) comes to an end at 220 straight days. Fall re-growth is showing some leaf burning in much the same way it would do after freeze damage.  Maybe the lyrics "It was so hot I froze to death" applies here.  Left - Another 2 year old Shantung test plant with very tiny leaves.  Center - Here I am playing with all the dwarf test Shantung maples and cleaning them up and finally moving them back to full sun after 4 weeks of half-day sun.  They will be numbered this fall and recorded.  Right - Dwarf Japanese maples like this Shaina, have done well this summer perhaps because it is a shorter distance from the roots to the leaves and dense canopies shade the roots better and the leaves have much less surface area.
Oct 14, 2011 - Shantung recovery from heat stroke and chemical-toxicity but I now think they will be alright.  The experts all say the trees can't recover until the following spring which is partially correct.  Left - Fire Dragon® growing with good, normal color.  I now believe they will be fine because I also see the stems fattening up.  Center - This 3 year old 'Baby Dragon' has looked very sad for 2 months.  Now the reddest growth ever is popping out everywhere.  Right - This test Shantung also looked nearly dead but now the growth looks like spring, which is a great sign the roots and limbs are happy again.
Oct 18, 2011 -   I'll see you later maple propagator.  I am going to Brussels, Belgium for the 4th International Maple Symposium to become the next President of the North American Branch of the Maple Society.   Scott and Jeri will tend the farm.  Left - Test Shantung in a bonsai pot with leaves half the size compared to the normal size leaf I am holding, proving that their leaves can be reduced.  Center - I did a preliminary caliper report and there was some thickening since July 1 despite the extreme hot and dry weather.  Increases were mostly .1" to a whopping .4" on Mother Fire Dragon®.  Those leaves on the ground are from last night's storm.  Right - Several Shantungs survived without any irrigation but this slow growing 2 gallon tree looks interesting and healthier than most, so it now becomes test plant 'Drought Dragon'.   More big news as I am proud to report that 7 out of 8 Fire Dragons® are alive and well without any irrigation.  I have proven that Shantungs can survive without water in a Texas forest, even during the worst of conditions. 
Nov 1, 2011 - Back from the 4th International Maple Symposium in Belgium.  A great 8 day tour with around 60 enthusiasts and experts from all over the world and thousands of maples.  Left - A scene from Esveld Nursery in the Netherlands where we saw 850 named Japanese maples.  Center - Left to right:  In Great Britain's world famous Westonbirt Arborteum with Hugh Angus, just retired Director of Westonbirt, middle - me, Keith Johansson, now president of the North American Maple Society, right - Peter Gregory, author "Japanese Maples" and former Director of Westonbirt, background - Acer sieboldianum in glorious color.  Many of the trees were planted over 150 years ago.   Right - My last day I was all alone in London at Kew Gardens to try and find a reported 140 year old Shantung maple.  I wanted to turn back several times as my foot felt nearly broken but I plodded on slowly in much pain and luckily something brought me almost straight to this incredible tree.  The Shantung is in the center and photos do not do it justice.  The trunk is nearly 3 foot wide and that first branch is 6 foot off the ground.  It was about 35 feet tall and 50 feet wide and I watched this tree for over an hour admiring its beautiful old age habit before hobbling back to the subway and hotel.   This Shantung is the oldest outside of China.
Nov 2, 2011 - More 140 year old Shantung photos by popular demand.  Left - Only the left side branches starting at about 10 feet off the ground, (taken from the opposite side of the photo above).  You can see the large fork on the left in the picture above.  Center - Some upper leaves have fallen on the ground.  Shantung is rare in Europe but someday I believe they'll catch on.  I saw 3 Shantung total and still believe that these trees grow bigger and better with longer growing seasons and more heat.  Right - Trunk detail.  Yes, heavily fissured with wide and long plates.
Nov 3, 2011 - Left - D&I Landscape helps unload a full semi of Japanese maples with another full semi coming tomorrow.  Center - New maples enjoying the cool Texas sun.  Those B&Bs are the best looking Shainas I have ever seen.  Right - The best compliment I've ever heard for my Fire Dragon® Shantung came on the phone today.  The Oregon maple farm that I believe is the best maple grower the world has ever known calls today and says that visitors to his 50 acre farm are spotting a lone Fire Dragon® and saying it is the reddest maple in his whole place.   I feel like the luckiest man in the world.
Nov 6, 2011 - Temperatures were down to freezing last week, just 35 days after our last 100 degree day.  Left - Test Shantung is starting to break down the chlorophyll which will then reveal fall colors.  Fall will be early this year from summer's stress and the 70 degree temperature drop since September 29.  Center - Good and bad news.  The good news is that all 8 Fire Dragon that weren't watered at all have survived the biggest drought and hottest summer of all time.  The bad news is that bark beetles got into one of them and that is why the growth is coming out of that trunk.  Right -  The little freeze won't stop The World's Most Vigorous Maple, 'Baby Dragon' Shantung, which continues with new growth. 
Nov 8, 2011 - Left - Two days later from picture above and the green pigment is rapidly dissolving.  Center - D&I landscape loads a 15' Oisami japonicum that is yellow at the moment.  The reds, oranges, purples, etc. will come later.  Right - The very sudden drop in temperatures may cause lots of orange colors this year like the start of this Osakasuki.
Nov 11, 2011 - Left - Sango Kaku becoming yellow and twigs getting a little red.  Center - So far we have put 3,275 trees in the greenhouse for grafting understock.  Right - East side 15gal Red Emperors are very early and red and about sold out, but we have thousands of trees yet to color up for fall.  See 'More Maples' for a 40 picture story of my recent trip to Europe and a 140 year old Shantung maple.
Nov 13, 2011 - Some unusually late growing leaves.  Left - Several of my new test dwarf Shantungs are just now finishing growth and appear to be as vigorous like 'Baby Dragon'.  Center - My yellow-green Shantung just finished growth and now must hurry to be ready for winter.  Right - This 'Fire Dragon'® growth on the bottom trunk is beautiful in this cool weather and maybe caused by a damaged crown so it could become a new bonsai someday .  
Nov 15, 2011 - Calls keep coming wondering about sickly fall colors.  Let's explain.  Left - This 'Fire Dragon'® is the only red one I have so far and mysteriously it also didn't get any fertilizer or irrigation.  Most do not have the energy or time to produce red pigments as they, and every tree, got heat stroke this year follwed by an early freeze on Nov. 3rd, only 35 days since the last 100 degree day.  2nd left - My bonsai 'Fire Dragon'® is orange and yellow from the sudden cold and early from stress growing in a pot.  Center - All trees are getting a little color with brown edges as moisture content is low and temperatures need to be in the 50s and 60s, not the eighties.  Center right - Even the post oaks are turning with shriveling brown edges.  Right - 'Doric Dragon', not great this year but remember this in Texas 2011.

Nov 20, 2011 -  The season is nearing the end but I am so excited about everything I learned this year.  Among some very important discoveries are (1) discovered that arrow-like basal lobes on Shantung are a reliable ultimate size indicator for my test plants, (2) the superior drought tolerance of Shantung in the worst year ever as 8 for 8 non-irrigated ones are alive and well, (3) learned a production method to produce 'Baby Dragons', (4) the 2 for 2 red fall colors on some test dwarfs, and (5) witnessed the mutation and adaptation to excessive winds by a Shantung maple that now has only 1/2" wide leaf lobes.  Left - 'Fire Dragon'® is orange as predicted and perhaps the last picture of the front right side of Tsuki Garden before a major redo this winter.  Center - 8 month old 'Baby Dragon' graft with world record total shoot growth of 23 feet 5 inches during the hottest year ever.   Inset - Close-up red color on dwarf Shantung test plant that was also red in its first year.  If you can get this color when the tree was grown in a small pot with a 102.7 degree average high, then you know you have a good reliable red one.  Right - More orange 'Fire Dragon'® everywhere with gray skies and wondering if I'll get a great picture for my Christmas Card this year.
Nov 23, 2011 - Happy Thanksgiving!  Left - Turkey gobbler's red snout.  Center - Morning fog and Test Shantung 1A enjoying some sun after a rough year.  Last year a grasshopper chewed the top off.  Leaves are very small and now it is going in the ground where the leaves should get bigger for the second phase of testing.  Then after that I have to see how it grows in production.  Right - "Redder than a turkey gobbler's snout" is what Cecil would say the color is on this 'Fire Dragon'® , another that did not receive a drop of irrigation.  Scott called it "lipstick red" this morning.  I might use this to remember the year on my X-MAS card .
Nov 27, 2011 - Left - Morning sun and cold winds should help.  The garden 'Fire Dragons'®  started coloring 10 days ago and tomorrow may be peak and the best picture should be around noon if it's sunny.  So far not as red as last year but better than in 2005.  Center - Trying to get a Best Fall Picture for 2011 and if I had to award Best Fall Color so far it would be these two looking east into the garden:  Coral Bark maple long lasting yellow and red-orange 'Fire Dragon'®.  So far very few Japanese maples have changed colors.  Last year they went well into mid-December.  Right - Only fall color picture so far on my always yellow Shantung that I have filed a Patent Pending and Trademark.  The first leaves to lose their chlorophyll  are yellow with red sectors. 
Nov 28, 2011 - Left - Despite the winds, all-time record heat and drought, the fires nearby, bugs coming in from the dry Texas woodlands, armadillos, toxicity, and drying water wells, and bad economy, and hurt knee and foot, and then when the rain was to come, it hailed,  I admit I feel like the luckiest man on the face of the earth as this non-irrigated 'Fire Dragon'® colors red on a normal schedule.  For me, this is the picture to remember the year by as it also shows a drought tolerant dead juniper in the foreground.  Center - Scott walks past a native Bigtooth sugar maple looking for something with red leaves.  Right - Hundreds of new maples, and many old specimens, in a magnificent new maple garden at the Dallas Arboretum where we discover the only tree or shrub with red leaves was, well, you  probably can figure it out from the small hint on the right, but you should go see for yourself.
Dec 2, 2011 - Left -  I love the colors in bright sun and also on misty, cold days.   We are well into the third week of fall colors on our Shantung maples.  Center - Many Japanese maples are just now getting fall color, like this Acer pseudosieboldianum.  Right - Shantung test plant producing a very nice red.
Dec 2, 2011 - Left - Varying fall colors on yellow Shantung for patent application.  Center - Ginkgo 'Robbie's Twist'.  Right - Last picture of Mother 'Fire Dragon', still holding onto some red-orange leaves after 17 days.   P. T. Barnum might call our maples after this year's record heat, The Greatest Color Show on Earth.  Greatness must be measured against great adversity.   No disputing the fact that Metro Maples is the greatest place to test maples as we went through the worst summer ever.  Back in 2007 my 'Fire Dragon' and other Shantung faced the worst cold ever and were totally unharmed through 3 days below freezing in mid-April 2007 that knocked-off every oak leaf and maple leaf in Arkansas.  Metro Maples made much progress in learning about maples this year and we also believe we witnessed a sudden branch mutation in response to some horrible winds.  Everything considered it was The Greatest Year Ever.  Thank you all for your continuing support and I hope to see you again real soon.
Dec 4, 2011 - I thought I was done for the year but Dec. 4th is a day I will always remember as one of my best days ever.  Cool and rainy and awesome colors abound.   Left to Right - I always wondered and thought that the various yellow, pink, orange, and reds that my soon to be patented Shantung develops throughout the growing season should also be reproduced as fall colors - and here they are!  All with the still very noticeable near-white veins.   I could not have asked for better mixed fall colors for my new tree.  Below are more pictures of the best day ever with rain all day and my camera beginning to get so wet it wouldn't take any more pictures..
Dec 5, 2011 - Over 3 inches of rain and very cold so Scott and I take a field trip.  We had the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens all to ourselves!  Rain is the best time to go for a visit.  Extreme fall colors and fun.  Left - One of the best shaped Shishigashiras I know of.  Center - Scott looks very cold.  All the Japanese maples are beautiful right now.  Right - Here is my Shantung selection, as reflected in a glass window, found behind the main building.  I have been to Japanese gardens all over the country, but Fort Worth is my very favorite.  Take off work and go see it tomorrow!  I am done for the year unless some of my dwarf test Shantung color up.  Merry Christmas again and thanks!
 

 
 
Send questions or comments about this web site to -  metromaple@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2012 Metro Maples - Website Powered by Metro Maples