New Maples for 2012

On Wednesday I made the 90 minute drive to Buchholz Nursery in Gaston, Oregon to pick up some of my spring order. My truck, old and decrepit as she is, can still hold 400 maples when properly stacked. 300 maples were 1 gallon size and 100 were 3 gallon size. Talon Buchholz told me I was getting some new cultivars that no other nursery had yet obtained. These rare and hard to find cultivars separate Eastfork Nursery from the rest, mostly large retail nurseries who would rather have common maples that grow fast and sell quick.

My passion for JMs has lead me to appreciate all cultivars, even those that grow only a couple of inches per year. Size is not everything in JM culture. My initial fascination with these trees deepened to outright love and a passion to share JMs with others. My little nursery is open by appointment only to screen out people who aren't looking for JMs, and to provide as much time that is needed for those people who want to add a maple or two to their landscape. Education is critical to ensure that the maples are planted in the right location for sun or shade, as well as good drainage. The number one killer of JMs is poor drainage [wet feet] which leads to root rot and weakens the tree enough to make it suceptible to fungus or bacterial infections.

Japanese Maples planted correctly are low on maintanence and high on appreciation. I call it the 'Wow Factor' that makes a visitor or neighbor stare and say "where did you get that tree?" A focal point for a front yard or an accent to a man-made pond or stream, JMs are the perfect choice and there are hundreds to choose from.

Well back to my initial reason for this post - the 400 new maples I unloaded and tucked away in various corners of my 3 greenhouses which are already pretty full. In May, I will move most of my maples outside to a large area which I will cover with shade cloth. This is where they will live during the summer and fall months. My new maples from Talon will also adorn the shade area.

The 1 gallon size maples included 60 different cultivars, of which 13 were new names to me. The 3 gallon maples included 5 new cultivars. I carefully developed a spreadsheet to reflect the different cultivars, the size of container and the quantity of each. This list was emailed to my "Maple Collectors' distribution list. It is a joy to share new maples with like-minded individuals across the country. Now if only the rain would stop and Washington State would join the majority of states with warmer than normal temperatures.