 |
|
| Maples for Spring Color | |
|
Japanese maples are often chosen for their spectacular fall colors, but I love them best in the springtime. The new leaves are stretching open, reaching for the life-giving sun; the roots anchoring deep, drawing sustenance from the earth. The spring colors are brilliant, and rival the show of flowers in the spring garden that they precede. The Japanese have long loved the maples, and over the past several hundred years they have selected many beautiful cultivars for us to choose from. Add to these the recent selections of Dutch and American plant breeders, and choosing a maple for your garden becomes a challenge because of the many beautiful cultivars to chose from. I would like to introduce you to some of my favorites.
To help you with your selections for spring I have divided the trees by color: brilliant hot colors, pastels, and deep jewel tones. Working with color in the garden is like painting; thought needs to be given to the entire palette of colors, and since spring maples have strong color careful consideration should be given to this choice. Hot pink is not for everyone, but it is exactly right for some! Brilliant Hot Spring Color The group of trees known to the Japanese as the "flower maples" are semi-dwarf and from the palmate or small leafed group. Their habit is upright, and mostly multi-trucked, and their spring foliage is astonishing in its clear intensity of color. These trees are not for the faint-hearted. They need at least three hours of sun to develop their best color. Their size makes them wonderful in containers, and they are thought to have been developed as spring offerings at the Shinto shrines. They are highly prized for bonsai. View Maples with Hot Spring Color Pastels These trees have soft spring color, giving your garden a romantic look. Several are variegated, their pastel colors blending in intricate patterns. The colors are clear and even though they are pastel they give a shimmering brightness to the early spring garden at a time when only the daffodils and other early spring bulbs are blooming. Most of these trees will darken to medium greens as the season progresses. View Maples for Pastel Spring Color
Deep Jewel Tones The trees here are mostly deep dark reds that add drama to a garden any time, but are especially dramatic in the spring. The colors are clear, but deep, and when the light shines through the foliage it shines like a ruby and the greens of spring make the perfect setting for these jewels of Mother Nature. |
|
| Related articles | |
|