I tried Crimson King years ago, of course no success. That would be great if this new 'Prairie Splendor' will be hardy!

Keep us updated!

Sharon

Hi Terry!
How did you make out?
Have Googled on this maple and have found YOU!!

Hole's Greenhouse is selling this one amongst some Jap. maples, like blood good, coral bark, inabe shidare laceleaf, zone 5 to 8

Question:
Why would hole's sell such tender verities!
Konrad

I guess the same reason why nurseries sell hybrid tea roses, there must be a demand. I think that's okay as long as they emphasize that these plants need special winter protection and even so might not survive zone 3/2 winters. I am not sure the buyer always gets that message.

Does anyone buy the annual publication "Hole's Spring Gardening"? It's usually at the local book store each spring and located in the magazine section. It's about $8 and a great guide.

I enjoy this publication and spend many hours browsing through it, but my beef is that they don't list zone ratings for their trees and shrubs. Each year it seems they list more and more tender varieties. They do have Japanese maples and other tender plants listed along with the super hardy stuff but no zone ratings, so one might conclude everything in the guide is super hardy.

I know that sometimes zone ratings may be inaccurate or just one person's opinion, but at least they give us a rough guide of what to expect.

Glen

Hi Konrad, and thanks for reactivating this thread. Though, it continues to be on my wish list, I have not yet purchased this tree ... but, I'm anxious to try it! I was hoping that others might be able to comment on their experience with it. The Edmonton area is a difficult and very inconsistent climate zone, heck we never know what to expect! The trouble with many of the maples is that they require plenty of heat units to mature properly before the arrival of cold weather. This past summer was an exception with the province experiencing an awesome long hot summer, though otherwise we sure have had our share of cold wet growing seasons! We tend to have short memories, but the previous two summers were really poor ones!

I have read of trials of several new prairie bred hybrid maples being tested here in Alberta, and unfortunately the results have NOT at all been encouraging! Though, since 'Prairie Splendor' did originate in this province, I have a bit more hope for this one! Several years back, I did come across a purple leafed Norway maple growing happily against the east side of a residence in Jasper ... that was a big surprise with it being Jasper of all places! When I had last seen this tree, the people were building a new home and it appeared they were making an attempt to save it ... I HOPE they've been able to do so! I'd like to be able to bud from this particular tree!

Glen, I agree with your comments ... and yes, Hole's does offer many plants rated for zones warmer than ours. Though, this is a good thing for those of us who like to do some zone pushing! With some effort, it's an easy matter to protect tender perennials, and with the milder winters of recent, sometimes these plants make it through fine on their own. With a deep layer of snow already blanketing the Edmonton area, such tender plants are protected and all snuggled in for the long winter ahead ... though, a few good warm spells could quickly change that!

It's quite a different matter for tender trees and shrubs, as careful placement and protection is required. Some trees will become somewhat more hardy as they age, though often these will be hit hard during really bad winters. Japanese maples are clearly out of zone, though I have purchased one to be container grown, then later when too large, I will attempt outside and totally bundle or bury it. Glen, how are your Japanese maples doing? I had enjoyed reading previous threads regarding your maples!

I generally pick up the Hole's Spring Gardening catalogue, and spend much time pouring over it!

Terry

It grows perfectly in Edmonton. Seen lots with no dieback getting very big. Here's mine two hours east of Edmonton after three years. Seen zone 3 winters. I have probably seen 30 in Sherwood park and Edmonton at 20ft.

Thanks for reviving this old thread...in the meantime, about 7 years ago I've put in some seeds from a friends tree of unknown cultivar in Lethbridge, from amongst many I've chosen about 5 of nicest to see if they make it, so far so good, it was a very slow start but this one grew about a foot this year and standing about 6 feet now... little lighter in colour which I like.

Here's my best performing 'Prairie Splendor' ... this one had struggled for several years, the soil is poor in that spot, though a bit of fertilizer and compost has encouraged the tree to develop nicely.

Konrad, does your seedling retain that bright red coloring on older foliage, or does it later darken?

I've had one of these for almost a decade. It does well, however some of the trunk has damage from what I presume is the sun and wind. Seems to have shrugged it off though. No significant dieback (I think I pruned a dead branch one year... :)

Konrad, that maple looks like a conquest maple. Millcreek started selling them and they look to be doing well.

Twros, your maple looks great and im sure will be fully mature one day.

Picture of seedling is from August 5...so I guess the colour retains pretty well.

Plant Love, my 'Prairie Splendor' had taken a very hard hit this past winter and so had these three maples in Spruce Grove, I'm unsure as to what varieties they are, some of them had colored up very well, though had dropped their foliage all too quickly, one has now outright died and the others are mostly dead, unfortunately. How have the established 'Prairie Splendor' you've come across fared? The weather the last few months has been rather very fine and I think my tree might have now had the chance to recharge and be okay, "IF" we now also receive a normal autumn and winter.

Spruce Grove maples

Last year was the worst winter Millcreek nursery told me that they have ever had with trees biting it. They got calls from people about elms, ash, crabapples and everything in between. I spoke with the owner Ken and he told me that their best guess is the lack of heat last summer (didn’t help hardening trees) along with a very erratic start to November and a brutal September and February the winter before. I looked back and it swung between +8s and down to near -20 multiple times. It’s extremely hard on trees and after having a decent fall, they may not have been ready for it. My prairie splendour got some frost cracking which I didn’t know was a problem and I lost two random branches but it’s grow like a wildfire this year and I’m using wrap on the trunk from now on.

I did drive past the very large prairie splendour (my guess but could be royal red as that’s what they used to sell at greenland) in Sherwood park and they are all in perfect shape. Did yours crack on the trunk? I think that’s the sole purpose of my loss of a couple limbs. Every other branch was in perfect shape and it wasn’t tip kill.

I wouldn’t give up on these trees as that was a very bad mix Of weather and there are lots that are still doing very well. Another one in my neighborhood looks the same as mine. Lost a couple branches and frost cracked. Protect the trunk and I assume a much better outcome. Mine withstood the worst winter in 40 years with no damage so im not going to stop trying them.

Fertilizer that is still in the soil Late in the season wouldn’t help either. They don’t like to change color till mid October so they grow lots late too. It’s smart to keep them from being fed too late and the slow release fertilizer can screw you up.

I love how frost hardy it is though. It can take about -6c before it burns but it has to go back above zero during the day. Lots of ash and elm are toast at that temp.

Yes, totally my thoughts as well regarding the severe erratic weather conditions that resulted in such damage to particular trees. Last summer was awful, awful wet and although we did experience some warm days, when such did occur, the sky was often obscured by cloud or smoke, really a terrible summer, one soon not be be forgotten by farmers and gardeners alike! I lost one main branch on the 'Prairie Splendor', oddly enough I had been eyeing that branch for removal in the first place. The tree also had produced no foliage whatsoever in the inner canopy with all the finer smaller interior branches dying off and hardly any new budding occurred on these during the growing season, the foliage also only about 1/3 normal size as well. Though, the last two months have been nearly ideal and it's my guess the tree will be okay if it isn't soon again struck with insult to injury! In the ten years or so that I've been applying a late summer fertilizer, never have I noted any negative effects, rather instead the very opposite with a vigorous spring flush of large full foliage ... oh, some years the fall coloring has been good even when being fed, see it's not as if I'm out there applying copious amounts of nitrogen to the thing. I'll probably be stopping such anyways, cause I'm now having the lawn fertilized on a regular basis.

Plant Love, 'Royal Red' has held up well in Edmonton, as well as 'Prairie Splendor'? Is one more desirable to the other ?

I’m only guessing there are lots of royal red in Sherwood park because thats all they sold before prairie splendour showed up and there are some really big ones now there that have to be 10-15 years old which was before I saw prairie splendour show up in nurseries. I’ve never compared the two to see which is hardier. I’ve heard royal is much better than crimson king but that’s not saying much.

The only thing I would worry about fertilizing prairie splendour in fall, is that it tends to have leaves until a really cold morning like -7 so you may be encouraging it to stay awake a little later into November when we can get very cold. Just my thoughts. That being said, if this is the only winter that didn’t work, I wouldn’t blame the fertilizer as it was a brutal year for everything. I almost feel like the terrible feb of the winter before, had something to do with it all as well. I’ve never lived through such a terrible Winter month.

I'm so glad that I found this thread! How is everyone's Prairie Splendour and Royal Red maples doing? 2 years ago, I ended up planting one Royal Red and one Prairie Splendour in my backyard, and this is its second season - so far, no die back and doing well! However, the trees are still very young!!!

For mature trees, how big do they get in Edmonton? Do they really get to be like 30-40 ft tall and 26 ft wide? Or not really? I hope they don't get THAT big.... !!! :-)

I think these are capable of good size, though would take rather significant time getting there in our climate. My 'Prairie Splendor' has had good years and bad. Last year, the tree was very thin looking after several severe weather events of both the growing season and of winter. It has recovered nicely this year again looking full, though I guess it suffers somewhat from placement, the winter wind comes howling off the roof and is directed at the top of the tree and keeps damaging the leader, I must get on a ladder and do some pruning, sigh!

I am growing emerald luster Norway maple. In the last three yesrs, It has been exposed to just about the very worst mother nature can deal out , including a massive trunk injury from cold and having its leaves fried off from 19 degrees on May 21 and is still alive. ha ha