I've been to the Dartswood web site but have never been there. The Darts also came to a talk I gave to a rhododendron group in BC once. >your plants grow at least 30% taller than the same plant here in new englandIt depends on which plants they are, what they are adapted to. Eastern North America is more similar in climate to East Asia than here, where it is comparatively cool and dry. Some additonal records for katsura trees: 82' X 20'8" Philadelphia, PA (1988; pl. 1890) 81' X 8'0" Fort Wayne, IN (1985) 80' X 9'11" Wethersfield, CT (1987) 70' X 19'1" Amherst, MA (1983; pl.1877) The MA tree was probably about 6' thick at the time of measurement, based on tendency of tree diameters to be roughly 1/3 their circumference (trunk shapes do vary, of course). Above measurements from Jacobson, NORTH AMERICAN LANDSCAPE TREES (Ten Speed). I see he also mentions the A. pseudoplatanus f. variegatum I mentioned: 70' X 10'2" X 75' Ladner, B.C. (1994) and reports that there are "immense old specimens in Great Britain, the tallest more than 100' and the stoutest trunks 15'3" around."

Quite recent on the local market but I have already encountered 'Esk Sunset' in street-side gardens here well above my head in height, with the pointed top of a young maple of nearly normal vigor. It being a variegated form, with clownish leaf color patterns it is not the same type as 'Brilliantissimum' and 'Prinz Handjery', with pinkish new growth slowly turned into a stippled leaf that looks like it has a mite problem. These are decidedly slower- and smaller-growing than normal.

I'm a Japanese maple guy and I could give a little advice on them. I'll first give you a basic list of common A. Palmatum trees that are found in the southeast. Bloodgood, Boskoop Glory, Burgandy Lace, Butterfly, Crimson Queen, Garnet, Indaba Shidare, Red Dragon, Seiryu, Viridis, Emperor One, Oshio Beni, Sango Kaku, Shishigashira, Suminagashi, Trompenburg, and Tamukeyama are common, and all are nice trees. Shin Deshojo, Beni Maiko, Katsura, Beni Shichihenge, Chisio Improved, Filigree, Jiro Shidare, Kiyohime, Koto no ito, Mikawa yatsubusa, Omure yama, Red pygmy, Shaina, Tsukushi gata, and Tsuma gaki are some of my personal favorites that should be fine in the southeast, but are likely a bit harder to find. Aka shigitatsu sawa, Ariadne, Peaches and Cream, Ukigumo, Shigitatsu sawa, and baby lace are nice trees...but I'm not sure how well they do in the heat and humidity (yet). A. Japonicum 'Acontifolium' and 'Green Cascade' are also great trees that do well. A. shirasawanum 'Aureum' and 'Autumn Moon' seem to do fine here as well.

pteroceltis, It looks like you have a bit more experience with this tree than I do. As you can see by my User Name, I'm a big fan of Acer griseum. Here's what I do know that may help you: Seeds: Most seeds contain an embryo and hardly any endosperm to speak of. Another plant that shares this characteristic is the orchid. Understanding how the orchid propagates naturally by seed, I think, can help us understand how griseum does as well. The orchid bursts out millions of dust-like seeds on the forest floor. Those that land on a specific fungi will find the nutrients necessary for the seed to germinate. On their own, they do not have the CHO or the proteins to create roots or shoots. Likewise, griseum needs a food-source for germination. Also, the casing is extremely hard and thick. Scarification really isn't enough. It's a wonder that the tree has made it this far in evolution. Forgive me if you don't believe in evolution. Whether we came from a similar ancestor as the monkey or not, plants do adapt over time, and natural selection does occur. Anyway, some propagators have had success using this understanding and have almost surgically removed the embryos and placed them in a nutrient-rich petri-dish. The embryo germinates and we have a new plant. Vegetative propagation: The general rule is, the younger the stem tissue, the more likely it will root. Seedling cuttings root pretty easily. But, seedlings are small and have very little stem to use. It's like a cycle: Take a seedling, cut it, root it, you now have another seedling. And, to get the original seedling, you have to get the seed to germinate. The trick we use is to almost force the well-established stock plant to succor: Hack it down low to the ground. Then, several immature stems come up. Then, use those to root. But, you have to let it grow green a little to continue to feed the roots. So, let one stem grow as a leader for the season. Ok, that's griseum. But, the other plant you mentioned was cappadocicum. I will not pretend to be an expert on this plant. I know that it is related to truncatum; which easily hybridizes with platanoides (Norway). Is Norway not an aggressive weed up in your part of the country? So, my assumption - and sorry this was so long - my assumption is that Forestfarm used cappadocicum as a rootstock because of it's aggressive tendencies to your area. But, it is not as aggressive as platanoides. So, you have a rootstock that will be extremely successful in your area with an ornamental top. Here's the concern: Maples are broken down into several groups. There really should be several genus' to break them down. Perhaps there will some day. For example, the Sugar Maple Group contains: Sugar, Silver, Red, Bigtooth Boxelder, Black, and some others. Japanese, for example, is not one of them. Nor is griseum. However, Boxelder is. Follow me here. The more related they are, the more compatible they are and the more likely the graft will take and last. I talked with a professor by e-mail at Penn State a few years ago. He was doing a test on graft compatibility of a Red scion and a Sugar stock. It looked successful for six years. During the seventh year, the graft split and the trees fell at the graft. I don't know if griseum and cappadocicum are in the same group or not. I don't believe they are. However, Boxelder is trifolate and is in the Sugar group. cappadocicum is almost a webbed palm. As far as maples go, there isn't a more entire leaf that I've seen. It's the flower, fruit and seed that determines the relatedness, not the leaf. So, I'd ask Forestfarm just how long this union has lasted in their experience. Just because it took in the greenhouse and lasted a few years at the farm, does not mean it will last for a lifetime in someone's landscape. I'm sorry if I confused or frustrated you. I just want you to understand why I would check with the grower their success on it. I'd hate your favorite tree to fall over one of the years during a wind storm. ericpaul