The first tree looks like a Japanese Katsura Tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) to me.

The second tree is a Japanese Maple(Acer palmatum), perhaps the common cultivar 'Bloodgood'.

The third tree looks like a cultivar of Higan Cherry (Prumus subhirtella) called 'Autumnalis' to me. Which is known for semi-double pink flowers, which it can also produce some in the fall, hence it's cultivar name.

Thank you so much!!! Is there any reason to believe what I was told about the value of the Japanese Maple?

Well, Japanese Maples are on the expensive side, and 10 years ago in many parts of the country even 'Bloodgood' was a bit more expensive than it is today, but then again there are hundreds of Japanese Maple cultivars and this very well could be a rarer one, even though it looks like 'Bloodgood' to me. Some of the rarer cultivars can be very expensive, but the most expensive cultivars tend to have a lacy cut leaf to them, and not the "normal" shaped leaf like in your photos. There are a few Japanese Maple nuts around here who might be able to pin the cultivar down more for you than I.

In my area(Eastern Kansas) 'Bloodgood' in a 5' to 6' range went for around $250 10 years ago, but today it goes for about $175 to $200. The lacy leaved cultivars go for about $225 for a 3' tall plant right now and some of the rarest cultivars can go for $150 for a little 18" twig. So, you see it really depends a lot on the cultivar and it's rarity.

Cool!! I just found this site tonight. This is our first house even though we are in our late 40s and we are having a great time in our yard. I'm so glad I found some place that I can learn more about things that we want to plant and ideas we have. Thanks again!

cheryl

I think the cherry is Prunus 'Kanzan' (often misspelled 'Kwanzan'). The pink seems a bit too deep for 'Autumnalis'.

a tree is worth what a rube is willing to pay for it ... or as barnum said.. there is a sucker born every minute ....

what might be a $200 tree here in rural MI .. might be a $500 tree in suburban WA ....

you have some choice trees .... if the guy said he paid $500 i wouldnt doubt it ... he bought big... for immediate gratification ... i tend to buy small.. and in volume... and delay my gratification ... either way is fine ...

personally .. for the 500$ ... i could add 15 to 20 more trees to your little slice of eden .... but you might have to wait 5 to 10 years for the full glory of them to evolve ...

i am telling you this.. since you are so excited by the garden bug.. and i want you to understand you can do a lot more in your garden... with a much smaller budget..

carpe gardum ... lol

ken

'Kwanzan' is an alternative spelling rather than an erroneous one. Kuitert (Japanese Flowering Cherries, 1999, Timber Press, Portland) calls it "obsolete".

The Japanese maple does not look like 'Bloodgood' to me, there are a great many purple-leaved Japanese maples other than 'Bloodgood' around. Many are just purple-leaved seedlings sold as 'Atropurpureum' (or 'Bloodgood') not actually being true examples of the original clonal (grafted) cultivars.

Yours has a thin crown with some dead branches and speckling, deformity of the leaves so it is not a choice example that would be expected to command high prices. Also the ones that have been getting mined from old properties here and sold for thousands of dollars by those willing and able to undertake these ventures are a different, slower-growing type (weeping laceleaf maple) that takes many years to reach the sizes being offered.

The maple just started it's leaves for this season. They are not looking nearly as good as they did last year. We moved into this house the last day of May last year. The sellers made some comment about if we wanted to spray the maple be sure to do it before the leaves were ready to fall but after we had enjoyed it enough for the season. I think what they were trying to say was that when it was sprayed it turned the leaves yucky. Now isn't that a technical term!!?? I'm wondering if it's a high maintenance tree that needs yearly spraying and since we didn't do it last year it doesn't look good this year.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:352725}}

I don't know about spraying on a Japanese Maple, at least not in my area(Eastern Kansas, Western Missouri). It might depend on what part of the country you are in and what potential pests are out there you might be spraying for. I can't think of any that target Japanese Maples off the top of my head, maybe someone else can.

Of course my potential values were all based on my area and based on supposedly healthy nursery stock, not trees being moved from some other private property to another. I did mention that the lace leafed cultivars are far more expensive than the non-lace leafed cultivars. I'd also say that 90% of the red leafed(non-lace leafed) Japanese Maples sold in much of the Eastern 1/2 of the country are indeed 'Bloodgood' or one of it's seedlings, so it and it's seedlings(which of course makes them NOT true 'Bloodgood') by far are the most widespread red leafed cultivar you will find in much of the country. I mentioned Japanese Maple nuts/aficionados/enthusiasts know probably hundreds of cultivars and can tell the minute differences between them all and could probably give a more informed opinion of the true cultivar of the tree in question, like bboy did. Many of them look so similar to me that they just kind of all merge into the same thing.

Shouldn't be any routine reason to spray Japanese maples here either. However, the speckling of yours could be caused by insects - maybe that is what it was being sprayed for.

Mulching and watering might help it grow better and fill in, normally these trees look quite lush and dense. However, they are also prone to pathogenic infestations that cause crown decline - if yours is so infested it may not recover full beauty and could even deteriorate further and die (prune out the dead branches and place in trash or burn). Verticillium wilt is often named as a typical cause but there are other possibilities with any given tree. It is true that improving growing conditions is recommended when a Japanese maple develops blighted or dead sections, so mulching and watering might be indicated either way.