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| Jan 10, 2010 - Welcome to Metro Maples 2010 "Maples
on the Move". It is going to be the most exciting year ever
as we expand our inventory and make it even more fun for our
customers. We have over 15,000 maples and in a few weeks are going
to propagate even more! Left - Widening the entrance for
better traffic flow and more loading spaces. Center - Twelve
degrees is not going to hurt any of our maples but it did freeze
our display pond solid. Notice how the super hardy rhododendrons
escape freeze damage by lowering and rolling their leaves. The
colder it is the more they do it. Right - Gathering rocks to build
a new garden that will feature a 6 foot Mikawa yatsubusa, a double trunk
Fire Dragon®
Shantung, and my new Dwarf Golden Dragon Shantung
discovery. |
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| Feb 5, 2010 - The cold still holding the maples
dormant. Left - Excellent Viridis and Emerald Lace
specimens. Our best ever. Center - A vigorous and young
Sango Kaku, Coral Bark maple, is brilliant red this time of year.
Right - New garden has some of the rocks placed but is on hold because
it is now grafting time. |
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| Feb 23, 2010 - Ten days after record snowfall there's
more snow. Metro Maples - Now In The Heart of the Snow Belt.
Left - Orangeola with 3 inches of more snow making it the snowiest
winter on record. Center - In the greenhouse only this
Goshiki kotohime in a small bonsai pot with wired branches is
growing. Last year at this time everything was growing in the
greenhouse and even the early azaleas outside were in bloom. Right
- New garden now has some of my hybrid dwarf Japanese maple seedlings
planted. Some were leaned-over on purpose. |
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| Feb 27, 2010 - My 10 year old Shin deshojo Japanese maple
starting growth in the heated greenhouse. Growth started first,
with many more buds growing, on the pruned branch. It's always
been in a tiny pot, and it's almost like having another child.
Center - Fire Dragon®
Shantung maple terminal bud opening on my test bonsai tree. Very
colorful over the opening bud scales, with many small
details, like tiny white hairs and orange secondary buds below.
Fascinating details that most people never stop to see. Right -
Fire Dragon® shape
after 11 years with clear blue skies, finally. |
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| March 5, 2010 - Left - Pruning these two Shantung
branches which were too low and too close to the ones I left above the
cuts. Shantungs can have many crowded branches but I like to space
them apart while they are young. Center - Fire Dragon®
Shantung seeds coming up red in the greenhouse. I planted some
early to test the germination rate, which was very high. Shantungs
are unique in the maple genus in that the cotyledons remain below the
soil so the first leaves are true leaves, (cotyledons are temporary food
storage leaves that shrivel and fall off either above or below the
soil). Right - Loading lots of 25 gallon Shantungs and we are
having trouble keeping up with demand. |
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| Mar 7, 2010 - In the greenhouse with: left - 'Baby Dragon'
Shantung bonsai, center - 'Orangeola' graft, right - 'Dwarf Golden Dragon'
Shantung maple graft. |
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| Mar 11, 2010 - SPRING! 'Goshiki kotohime', 'Murasaki
kiyohime' (also note the nice glaucous stems), 'Higasayama'. Hime (He
May) means princess. |
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| Mar 14, 2010 - Close-up of my 'Dwarf Golden Dragon'
discovery with Deshojo in background, center - 'Kiyohime', right - 'Orange
Dream'. |
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| Mar 17, 2010 - Left - My Japanese maple hybrid #2 starts
its third year. It is a seedling of dwarf 'Mikawa yatsubusa' that
was created to get different colors with the same growth habit.
Center - Regular Shandong maples starting to bloom. Right - Blooms
on Acer japonicum 'Meigetsu'. Japonicums have larger flowers than
the palmatums. |
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| Mar 23, 2010 - Spring in full swing. Left - 'Wilson's Pink Dwarf' is upright and dense. Center -
'Komachi hime' is
a low and wide dwarf. We have only 1 to sell which is why it is
not listed on our catalog. Right - 'Bonfire' is one of several with
spectacular spring colors but is the only one with some yellow in the
growing stems. |
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| Mar 25, 2010 - Rain and spring temperatures
continue. Left - My Japanese maple hybrid #2 turning from red to
more orange (shown above 3-17-10). It has the color sequence
reversed from its pollen parent 'Moonrise'TM.
Center - Mikawa yatsubusa was the female parent of my hybrids and is
always a unique, beautiful green when unfolding. Right -
'Butterfly' with lots of pink. |
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| Mar 27, 2010 - Pure fun. They are brilliant,
beautiful and inspirational. Left - Orange Dream, Center - early
azalea Festive with electric green Shishigashira. Right -
Shindeshojo with Shantung maple blooms in background. |
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| Mar 31, 2010 - Wow, my Higasayama cutting has never been
this pink. Center - Skeeter's Broom is starting the year with
great red color. Right - Crimson Queen is maroon but will be more
red in a few days. |
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| Apr 3, 2010 - Very busy Saturday but took these cloudy,
late in the day pictures. Left - rare bi-color azalea 'Germanique'
behind Japanese maple 'Shin deshojo'. Center - Shantung 'Dwarf
Golden Dragon' now growing with its usual spring colors, but so far not
as bright as last year, maybe due to all the recent high winds.
Right - One of the brightest azaleas is this Chinese azalea 'Huang
1-6-72 #2', the solid pink, which now has a small reversion back to
white. |
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| Apr 6, 2010 - Warm, dry and very windy all day and night but the trees will give you all they can
in their effort to grow and set seeds. Last year was also windy
but this year the winds came earlier in their gowth cycle which has been
harder on them. Left - Allure azalea and Ogon Sarassa, the early
pinkish-red is already turning darker. Center - My
new Shantung 'Dwarf Golden Dragon' is losing the orange edges and is
just beginning to turn a bright yellow. Right - 'Pixie', a dwarf
form of 'Bloodgood', is having a colorful spring. |
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| Apr 7, 2010 - Real easy getting good pictures right
now. Left - Very small leaves of 'Tama Hime' with Rhododendron
adenopodum in the background. This Rhodie was highlighted in my
presentation at the 2007 National ARS Convention in Tulsa. Center
- Trompenburg is a great purple-red Japanese maple that is strong and
dependable. It had great fall color last year as it changed from
orange to red over a two week period. Right - Another favorite is
this Green Cascade with the new small leaves of a Beni komachi in the
background. |
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| Apr 9, 2010 - Great temps and no cut worms or
mosquitos! A study in reds. Left - Shaina. Center -
Aratama. Right - Lower is new dissectum Crimson Prince and above
is Red Emperor which is turning darker red but if it was backlit from
the sun it would show very, very bright. |
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| Apr 11, 2010 - Display Garden with the white of a
Butterfly and the purple-red of Inaba Shidare. The red up high is
an O'Kagami. It's all maples in this picture! Also in the
shot is a Fire Dragon Shantung, Flavenscens, Beni Kawa, Shishigashira,
Baby Dragon and regular Shantungs, Trident maple and Paperbarks.
Center - This new Mikawa yatsubusa is 8 feet according to Roy and doing
great since transplanting. I am watering almost every day to make
sure the top finishes it's spring growth so it will match the lower
growth of the tree. Right - Bonsai azalea with Orange Dream. |
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| Apr 14, 2010 - All new maples. Left - One of my
hybrid Japanese maple dwarfs putting out lots of light-orange new
growth. Center - This new patented cultivar is 'Gwenn's Rose
Delight'TM
or Shirazz. Right - Thousands of new Shantung 'Fire Dragon'®
seeds to evaluate or to use as grafting understock. |
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April 16, 2010 - Very cloudy and 24 days since rain but
I got a few pictures late in the day with a little sun. Left -
Another new hydbid Japanese maple with orange growth. Center -
Lots of Rhododendrons (often referred to as 'King of Shrubs') and
azaleas in full bloom. Right - Some Shantung seeds with very nice
red coloring.
NOTE: Check this page next Friday, April 23, 7:00 pm for a
contest. The first to identify cultivars by e-mail gets a $200
gift certificate. |
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April 18, 2010 - Left - Rain is back. 'Blaine's Dragon', a
Shantung test plant, has grown over 2 feet so far. Center - This
'Moonrise'TM
has been in this small pot for 3 years and put through all the tests and
it is now considered a good grower. Right - 'Fire Dragon'®
leaves flop over from rain and its branches are encouraged to spread
from the weight of the water. Next Friday at 7:00 pm is a maple
identifying contest right here on 'Maples On The Move'. |
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Apr 20, 2010 - Left - This Cardinal underneath a 22 year old Bloodgood
has a big green catepillar for breakfast. Center - Shin deshojo a
spectacular mix of colors under cloudy skies. Right - Great
success with our air-layers we did back in February that are now severed
and potted. Three days until contest. |
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Apr 22, 2010 - I thought I would have bright colors to show you today
but when it is heavy clouds all day let's look at these. Left -
Trompenburg now turning from red to dark purple. Center -
Butterfly is mostly white now. Right - Skeeter's Broom a mixed
display with only a few shortened center lobes and deeply cut lobes
almost to the base. Tomorrow is the cultivar indentification
contest worth $200 in gift certificate (good on everything except Fire
Dragons). Ten numbered pictures will be posted at 7:00 pm on
Apr 23. The first to correctly identify by e-mail to metromaples@yahoo.com
wins. |
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CONTEST - Identify the 10 maple cultivars above and send your answers
to metromaples@yahoo.com.
Most photos above are used somewhere in this website. The first
correct response determined by my e-mail time stamp wins a $200.00 gift
certificate, good for any maples at Metro Maples except Fire Dragon
Shantung. The winner will be notified by return e-mail.
Employees and family are not eligible. Prizes must be picked-up by
June 1, 2010.
WE HAVE A WINNER! TIME OF CORRECT ANSWERS WAS
7:45 PM. STAY TUNED FOR MORE FUN IN THE FUTURE.
Correct answers - Tsuma beni, Coonora Pygmy, Aka shigitatsu sawa,
Orangeola, Orange Dream, Green Cascade, Aratama, Fire Dragon®, Bloodgood,
Dwarf Golden Dragon.
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Apr 26, 2010 - Fourth edition is published. There are enough new
cultivars listed to make your head spin. Also, there are 36 U.S.
nursery sources listed in the appendix. The west coast has 21, the
east coast has 6, 6 in the upper midwest, and 1 in Alabama, and 1 in
Texas. Left - In case you're wondering about the test Shantung
'TARP Dragon' it grew a little too fast in the ground last year and is
now being tested as a bonsai. Center - New grafts of 'Dwarf Golden
Dragon' are growing well with Osmocote. I hope to get slower, but
consistent growth all year without the spurts. Right - Nuresagi is
an excellent red upright Japanese maple. The Fourth Edition says
there are over 60 red uprights.
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Apr 28, 2010 - Great year so far. May used to be my favorite month
and might be again this year, as the Japanese maples might get growing
again and the Rhodies and Satsukis are in bloom. Left - 'Crimson
Queen' in morning sun. Center - 'Fireglow' a nice red in morning sun
and I'm trying to bring this large one back to a vigorous condition
after years of not enough water. Right - 'Red Dragon' is the best
color for a laceleaf but does not like extreme heat. I've had this
one for several years in a pot and I'm finally going to plant it in a
good spot that has some sun and has a favorable micro-climate.
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Apr 30, 2010 - April started with lots of wind and ended with wind but
the middle was calm and I had 2.0 inches of rain. Left - Found
this sport, mutation, on my Mikawa yatsubusa. It has smaller
leaves, narrow lobes, and light green edges on the leaves. Center
- 'Baby Dragon' Shantung is listed in the Fourth Edition book and is
putting out tons of new growth. Right - Japanese maple 'Koto maru'
is growing in sifted, aged pine bark, and pumice and Osmocote, and is
watered frequently. This lucky dwarf maple must think it is living
in a luxury hotel even though it is confined to this small pot.
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May 3, 2010 - Left - 'Kashima' is a dwarf Japanese maple with small leaves
and a distinctive yellow-green color. Center - I got some
hot-off-the-press ShirazzTM
Japanese maples last February as bareroots and they are doing very
well. Right - Japanese maples have been cultivated and collected
for over a 1,000 years. As far as I can tell not much has been
done with Shantung maples although in 15 years I have discovered quite a
few nice ones like this variegated Shantung maple test plant.
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May 4, 2010 - Not much rain last night, but if you got up early you
would have seen maples in the fog. Whatever the weather, maples
always shine bright.
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May 7, 2010 - This Shantung maple at the gate is adapting to the newly
found room to grow by spreading down and out the branches on the left,
now that several large cherry laurels were removed nearby. I have
never seen a tree adapt as quick as this. Center - This azalea was
shown back in March beginning to bloom and is getting close to peak
bloom. Several of the Satsuki azaleas are beginning to bloom
now. Right - 'Orangeola' beginning to grow in a hanging basket.
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May 9, 2010 - Here's a sampling of blooms at Metro Maples on
Mother's Day.
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May 12, 2010 - Three days of warm winds but rain is finally
coming. Left - Great time to prune. These Shantungs had all
the lower branches, crossing branches, and weeping limbs removed.
We cut close to the trunk, sometimes half-way through the branch
collar. If your Japanese or Shantung maples are thriving they can be trimmed
now and new growth will emerge in a couple of weeks. Center - Good
growth so far on all the different slow release fertilizers I
used this year. Right - My 'Shin deshojo' in this tiny pot for 4
years is growing like a weed with very long internodes.
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May 16, 2010 - .9" inch of rain on Friday. Left - This 'Fire
Dragon'®
bonsai had all its leaves removed last week and is now growing new ones
which were then pinched back leaving only the first set of two
leaves. Perhaps this time the leaves will be smaller and the
pinching should generate back-budding. Center - So far this very
large 'Mikawa yatsubusa', on left with dark green and bright green leaves
on top, is loving its new home. Right - I decided to pluck-off the
blooms and seed heads to now encourage growth. This azalea
is now in morning sun and will be turned frequently so that all the
branches receive equal sunlight.
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May 18, 2010 - 1.8" rain last night. Left - Light yellow-green of
'Coonora Pygmy'. Center - Darker green of 'Palmatifidum'.
The Fourth Edition book says we can now call this 'Eagle Claw' like we
used to. Right - Medium green of Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium',
also called Dancing Peacock for the brilliant mixture of fall colors.
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May 20, 2010 - Comparison of reticulated (varying colors in veins)
leaves. Left - 'Peaches 'n Cream'. Center - 'Sister
Ghost'. Right - 'Shigitatsu sawa'.
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May 23, 2010 - Left are 3 of our red dwarfs. Shaina (this one gets
3-4 hours of morning sun and is the only one still this red), Skeeter's
Broom (changing from bright red to dark purple), and Aratama (red new
growth over green/bronze even in sun). One month ago our
air-layers were severed and potted into 2-gal and already the roots are
coming out of the bottom and growing on the wood in our humid
greenhouse. Right - You better hurry if you want to see some
Satsuki azaleas in bloom.
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May 25, 2010 - 'Baby Dragon' Shantung, now 16 years old, had its first
pruning. Center - Close-up of tiny leaves and new growth on 'Baby
Dragon'. Sorry, most grafts did not take last February so it will
take awhile before we have some for sale. Right - Looking down on
my Acer palmatum in bonsai training. Scott will be taking some of
our small plants to sell at the Texas Bonsai Convention, June 11th-13th,
at the Radisson, I-35 & Meacham Blvd. For details of this
event see: www.fwbonsai.com.
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May 27, 2010 - New growth on my dwarf Japanese maple hybrid #2.
Now in its third year and all the new growth has been orange to.
Center - An obstacle to hand-watering was found in this 'Doric Dragon'
Shantung. Right - Clouds bubbling-up right overhead late in
the day.
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May 29, 2010 - Happy Memorial Day. Left - Red growth on
'Shin deshojo'. Center - White leaves of 'Butterfly'.
Right - Close-up of Blue on 2 year-old stem on 'Palmatifidum'.
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Jun 1, 2010 - The heat is here. This week we are studying colors
at 100 degrees. Purples first. Left to right - Fireglow,
Moonfire, and O'Kagami.
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Jun 4, 2010 - More purple in part sun/dappled shade. Red Emperor,
Sumi nagashi, Nuresagi, Red Dragon, and Red Filigree Lace.
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Jun 6, 2010 - Now some reds. Left - This Tamukeyama outside the
gate, in sun from 9 am until 1 pm, is the last maple that stills looks
all red. Center - Lots of cultivars have new red growth like this
Deshojo. Right - New growth on Shantung cultivar 'Blaine's
Dragon'.
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| Jun 6, 2010 - Currents oranges are found on new growth only.
Left - 'Orangeola'. Center - Shantung 'Dwarf Golden Dragon'.
Right - 'Wilson's Pink Dwarf'. |
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| Jun 8, 2010 - Now the yellows. Left 'Moonrise'TM.
Right - 'Dwarf Golden Dragon' Shantungs. |
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| Jun 8, 2010 - And don't forget green which is a great color too.
'Fire Dragon'®
Shantungs backlit with sun with native post oaks in the background. |
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| Jun 11, 2010 - Left - Here is my bonsai 'Fire Dragon'®
Shantung with all new leaves after I defoliated it in early May.
Scott is working a booth at the Texas Bonsai Convention in Fort Worth
that starts today. Center - 'Baby Dragon' Shantung has lots of new
orange growth, wilts every afternoon but recovers overnight to do more
growing the next day. Right 'Skinny Dragon' Shantung has narrow
lobes that are cut nearly to the base. |
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| Jun 13, 2010 - Varying colors on new growth of 'Fire Dragon'®
that are pink, red, or bronze. This very hot, windy weather is
affecting colors and growth. |
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| Jun 17, 2010 - Hot winds have been blowing 6 out of the last 7 days
which is slowing growth and creating nutrient uptake problems on several
of the more vigorous maples. Left - My Japanese maple hybrid #2
has some summer color. Center - My Bristlecone pine is starting
some summer growth so it appears I will not lose the growing contest
with Scott and Henry Novak, a landscaper who plants our trees.
Mine has received royal treatment but this pine which lives for
thousands of years is very slow growing. Right - Surprisingly the
original 'Dwarf Golden Dragon' has already reached the top of it's
bamboo pole. It has grown about 3 1/2 feet so far this year.
It was planted in a fast growing spot, east facing slope and shade after
3 pm, to get as much propagating wood as soon as possible. |
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| Jun 20, 2010 - Happy Father's Day. Left - More than a thousand
Shantung seedlings germinated this spring. Center - I am proud to
announce yet another Shantung discovery. This one is maybe 7 or 8
years old and appears to be slow growing. Caliper is only 1 1/2
inches, but look at the deeply fissured bark! I am calling this
one 'Cork Dragon' at the moment. Note the bark on an old Post Oak
to the left. Right - This seedling is Acer palmatum. The
original Japanese maple. This one has received no irrigation this
year. It looks in better shape than some of the natives right now
that are dropping leaves from the heat. |
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| Jun 22, 2010 - Changing colors on 'Dwarf Golden Dragon' Earlier
the new growth was orange. Last week's sudden heat turned the
growth very pale but early this morning the new growth looked pink. |
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| Jun 27, 2010 - Left - Growth on top of this irrigated, 25 foot 'Doric
Dragon'. It's been forty days since a good rain at Metro
Maples. Center - 'Tiny Dragon' Shantung has spent a week growing
these small new red leaves. It is truly a dwarf. Right -
Close-up of unusual bumpy texture on the upper leaf surface of 'Tiny
Dragon'. Just in - The details of the NAB Maple Society meeting in
Dallas this October is on the website: www.maplesociety.org |
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| Jul 2, 2010 - Wow. It rained everyday this week except Thursday,
creating lots of colorful growth. Today, only 84 degrees, the
coolest in nearly 7 weeks. Left - 'Baby Dragon' was
unbelievable today. I am putting this one in Best Pictures, under
More Maples. Center left - Close-up of new growth on 'Baby
Dragon'. Center right - A week's worth of growth on 'Tiny
Dragon'. Right - New growth on Blaine's Dragon, an interesting
Shantung test plant. |
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| Jul 9, 2010 - Almost 2 weeks of clouds and over 6 inches of
rain. We've gone from desert to tropical conditions. Left -
'Baby Dragon' gets even better in this cooler weather. Center -
'Fire Dragon'®
is producing large leaves but it will make smaller ones once the sun
comes back. Right - It's official. The Maple Society will be
touring Metro Maples in October so I will try to finish the Shrine
Garden, starting with some bolders. |
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| Jul 11, 2010 - The sun is back and new growth colors are
changing. Left - 'Baby Dragon' just 2 days from above
picture. Center - 'Dwarf Golden Dragon' now have reddish
growth. Right - Mother 'Dwarf Golden Dragon' has more than doubled
in size and was pruned to encourage branching. There is 'Tiny
Dragon' in front between the 2 rocks. It is probably 5 years old. |
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| July 15, 2010 - Left - Mikawa yatsubusa in sun is bright green or dark
green where the foliage is dense. Center - My Deshojo bonsai with
bright red new growth. Right - Flower buds for next year's bloom
are getting fatter on the rhododendrons. Notice the filtered sun,
which at 2 o'clock in the afternoon when this picture was taken, is
about 50 percent. |
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| July 18, 2010 - Looking for more places to grow maples to include in
my presentation to the Maple Society called 'Maple for Every
Spot'. This Mikawa seedling used as a hood ornament may be shown
to break-up any monotony. Center - Close-up of mature leaf on
Dwarf Golden Dragon. It has very wavy margins, a truncated base,
and much lighter yellow veins. Right - Shantungs, like this 'Fire
Dragon'®,
are growing too fast to repot or dig, which may result in some
trees not being ready to sell by mid-September.. |
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| July 24, 2010 - Another lucky rain yesterday will make things easier
for me and the trees. This year we've seen snow followed by a very
nice spring with many customers reporting above average spring growth, a
very hot, windy, and dry June, and now a nice (for Texans) July.
Night-time temperatures have not been below average since May but the
humid conditions are good for the trees. Left - 'TARP Dragon' is
doing very nice in this small pot. The leaves have stayed small
and look great that way. Center - Mother 'Fire Dragon'®
has increased an inch in caliper so
far this year. Right - Unusual bark pattern on the base of the big
Shantung at our gate. |
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| July 28, 2010 - The sun is going south. Days are getting
shorter and shadows longer. Left - These Shantungs have grown
about 2 feet since showing you them on June 8. The oaks in the
background are just about covered-up. Right - Japanese maple
'Coonora Pygmy' is an excellent grower. The new foliage is a light
yellow-green over dark green spring leaves. |
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| Aug 1, 2010 - Acer truncatums are growing very well, even this one
that has not been irrigated started summer growth last week. That
is the early morning moon in the center of the picture. Center -
Finished my cover page for a presentation to The Maple Society.
Right - When weather is this hot I wish I was in all that cool water
too. |
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| Aug 3, 2010 - Left - Skinny Dragon Shantung is branching now.
Center - Skeeter's Broom Japanese maple in morning sun did not go to a
dark shiny purple this year. Note the clutter of azaleas and
maples in my collection that I can't live without. Right - Detail
of a new Shantung maple leaf that is developing a waxy coating to help
deflect the sun and retain moisture. |
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| Aug 5, 2010 - Left - Some local experts do not think Shantungs make
good bonsai but this one looked pretty good in the mid-day sun so I took
this picture. Center - So far this is the only Shantung that I
have pulled out for evaluation from the 1200 seedlings. It has
pink growth and small leaves. Right - This ceramic man has been in
the family for over 50 years. The acer palmatum next to him is
about 12 years old and living in a concrete planter my dad made. |
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| Aug 8, 2010 - Left - 'Doric Dragon' Shantung is over 29 feet tall and
growing everwhere, a sign of good health, but lots of unripened seeds
are falling off early. Maybe it is just too hot. It is now
15 foot wide. Center - 'Sharp's Pypmy' in some intense late morning sun. It has been 3
weeks since I've had an inch of rain so I must now get some water down
to the deeper roots by hand watering or by running the sprinklers
longer. Right - 'Aratama' also in some sun has some red growth. |
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| Aug 13, 2010 - Still over 100 degrees with high nighttime
temperatures everyday. Left - This 'Nishiki Gawa' had its main
branch removed in spring to get a tapered trunk and is healing-up
nicely. Center - 'Moonrise'TM
is holding a nice yellow-green color all summer.
Being an A. shirasawanum hybrid it does like a little more summer water
than some of the others. Right - My yellow Shantung test plant has
great color even in this location which gets full sun midday only for
about 2-3 hours. |
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| Aug 18, 2010 - 18 straight days over 100 degrees has been
very hard on the maples but they will make it. Left - Noticed some
roots on this layering attempt I did last February. Center Left -
This rare azalea had freeze damage but I feel confident it is going to
make it since it made it thru all this heat. Freeze damaged plants
usually die in the summer. Center Right - First photos from
Greenleaf Nursery showing a 'Fire Dragon'®
7gal they have grown. Right - Another positive is that all my
bonsai, like this Shantung maple, have done great. |
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| Aug 30, 2010 - Only .2" inches of rain in August and
it's now forty three days since a decent rain. The weather is very
similiar to 2006 and if this comparison continues we should have a rainy
and cool September. Left - Many Dwarf Golden Dragons, in pots,
turned nearly white from the hot sun. The ones in the ground are
more yellow. Center - Scott removes severly burnt leaves on a
rooted cutting of Fireglow to speed up the process of growing new
ones. Other large Fireglows are in good shape, so maybe Fireglow
is not as strong when grown on its own roots. Right - About the
only maples to start new shoot growth in the heat are several Blaine's
Dragons and some Doric Dragon Shantungs. |
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| Sep 2, 2010 - Lots of rain plus a cold front arrives
tonight. Left - 'Orange Dream' has grown slowly through the heat
but now the speed is increasing and the right color is starting to come
back. Center - 'Fire Dragon'®
Shantungs are brought up from the west slope growing
area to sell this weekend. Right - One amazing growth story is my
Aka shigitatsusawa. One branch has grown nearly 6 feet this year. |
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| Sep 5, 2010 - Celebrate Labor Day and the end of
summer. In Texas we have four seasons: early summer,
mid-summer, late summer, and next summer. Left - Wilson's
Pink Dwarf, like most Japanese maples in a container, burnt from several
hours of midday sun despite lots of water. Tons of new growth has
appeared. Center - A twenty year 'Tradition' azalea was one of my
finest specimens but it got damaged last year and since recovery was
slow I went ahead and removed everything but a few branches to at least
make it look cool right now. Right - The 'Mikawa yatsubusa' sport
I mentioned ealier in spring has retained its variegation in excellent
shape all year. |
