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Landscape Design

Japanese maple under red maple?

12 years ago

My landscape designer is suggesting putting a weeping form of Japanese Maple beneath the canopy of an established Red Maple. I am questioning his competence. I'm wanting to take the Red Maple out because I can't grow flowers under it. He thinks I would miss the shade canopy ( which is north of the house anyway) and offered this suggestion to replace the viburnum doing poorly with this other maple. Which should I do, remove the Red Maple so things already there can grow larger or leave it and put Japanese Maple beside it? Has anyone heard of a Japanese maple able to flourish in such conditions?

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Comments (8)

inkognito
12 years ago
It does seem a bit risky I have to say. Melanie who posts here has grown J. Maples in nice pots (see the 'reconfigure' thread) perhaps you could try this then you can easily move it if it looks sad.
karinl
12 years ago
I don't think you have to move right to questioning his competence. I would check first what assumptions each of you is operating under.

If you have given him instructions to produce a certain kind of environment in the yard, shade may be an essential part of that and perhaps he can't produce any other source of shade in the short term and is concerned you'll not be happy with the outcome if there isn't enough shade. Or something. He may also be making some assumptions about how much you want to water your plants.

I de-shaded the north side of my house with the removal of a tree and it does get sunny as the sun veers around in the afternoon. New trees are just growing in enough to make an impact 4 years later.

If there is a chance you will be removing the big tree at some point within 5 years, the pot is a very good idea for another reason - you'll have to get the little maple out of the way of falling tree parts. They do grow well in pots, especially if the pots are big enough.

KarinL
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Why anyone felt it was necessary to resurrect and add on to an inactive 12 year old thread is a bit strange........but let me just add this comment. Japanese maples produce shallow and extremely sensitive root systems that resent any sort of disturbance. In fact, it is extremely easy to introduce often fatal disease issues by damaging these roots. So whatever one chooses to underplant their JMs with, it should be something that can be left undisturbed and with non-invasive roots. No annuals that require yearly replacement or perennials that will need frequent division. Smaller, non-suckering shrubs are fine but should be planted simultaneous to the maple. Or any low growing, shallow rooted groundcover.
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There is no way a pre-emergent herbicide can distinguish between weeds and what we may consider non-weeds. They are simply all broadleafed plants and the effect should be the same. That's why it is not recommended to use pre-emergents where you will be sowing seeds or allowing self-sown seeds to germinate. I would attempt using Preen or some other pre-emergent before I'd resort to RoundUp, even in clear areas under the tree canopy. There is some evidence that repeated use of RoundUp across a tree's root system can have damaging effects. I realize you may be dealing with a great many seedlings, but I'd recommend manual removal over and above anything else. I deal with freely seeding maples myself and understand what a PITA it is to get rid of them. Raking up the samaras when they fall would be my first step. The less of these that remain on the ground, the less germination that will take place and many fewer seedlings to deal with.
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Hmmm...where to start. First of all, there are nearly a thousand different cultivars of Japanese maples. About a third (or maybe more) of them have red leaves at least a portion of the year. Secondly, japanese red maple would be a misleading name since a red maple is a native maple to the US that has green leaves and red flowers. Red japanese maple would make more sense. So, "Japanese red maple" could refer to one of hundreds of cultivars that have been reproduced by grafting, or it could be a red seedling that shows good red characteristics. This would mean that 'red select' is a specific cultivar of a red japanese maple. You must also consider whether or not it is a weeping red dissectum (fine lacy leaves) or an upright palmatum (star shaped leaves). 'Red select' is one of many red dissectum cultivars (lacy and weeping). I think 'red select' is a seedling from 'inaba shidare' (guys I know Vertrees claims that they are one in the same, but I have convincing information that says otherwise). They are similar, but some claim there are distinct differences (and by distinct I mean practically with a magnifying glass). Other similar common cultivars include 'crimson queen', 'tamukeyama', 'garnet', and the newer 'red dragon'. A couple of good red upright cultivars include 'bloodgood' and 'fireglow'. Search these names and this should shed some light on what the differences are.
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After some years I cut my two 'Franksred' down because they were beginning to dominate. Large-growing kinds like Norway, red and sugar maples are for large spaces, where a big blank area beneath the tree is not a drawback.
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Vicki
Original Author
12 years ago
I'm afraid a pot would not withstand our winters and there is nowhere to sink it into the ground over winter but that sounds like a good idea. I had a Japanese Maple once in a pot and it was too heavy to move so I waited for a son to move it and freezing weather set in before he could get here. Thanks for the comments. I think I'll leave the tree there for now and have then coppice the viburnum so it is not so gangly. The viburnum was there before the tree was so maybe it just needs a haircut to rejuvenate it.
mjsee
12 years ago
There's no reason the proper pot, properly treated (coated with a sealant on the inside), couldn't withstand a Nebraska winter. You MIGHT have to bubble-wrap the pot to protect the tree's roots. Works surprisingly well...I've had great success growing JM's in pots. I'm in zone 7, so I don't have to bubble wrap. Up there, I would. A couple of layers ought to do it...Worth a try!

I grow mine in pots because I am doing my landscaping in phases. Also---because I am an addict and have to buy the JM's BEFORE I have a place for them...
wbgarden
5 years ago
Hi all.

Some of my japanese maples ...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211612486256167&set=a.10209878537588534&type=3&theater
Mike Larkin
5 years ago
pictures would better tell the story. A quick easy reply is if there are extensive roots from the red maple, how or why would you plant anything larger than ground cover.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
This thread is more than 7 years old!! Any additional posts or replies are pretty inconsequential and unnecessary at this point..........
Mike Larkin
5 years ago
sorry I did not notice that - I will be more careful next time

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