Will a bloodgood japanese maple keep its color in a shaded area?
tlbean2004
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I want to plant a bloodgood maple in the squared off area in the pic. It is the north side of the house and that area is shaded a lot. Grass doesn't really grow there.
If i put the bloodgood there do you think it will keep it color or no?
The are does get a little sun.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
hamburglar1
9 years agoRelated Discussions
groundcover under bloodgood japanese maple tree
Comments (15)Your "landscapers" are sorely misinformed. Pretty much anything can grow under a Japanese maple, as their root system does not have the same aggressive, water-guzzling, nutrient-hogging character that other, native maples display. And a hot, dry summer will require regular periodic irrigation of any JM for it to survive and thrive - these are not drought tolerant trees. My only concern when underplanting a taller growing JM is that you select plants that will not need frequent division to maintain them, as excessive cultivation in the root zone or any significant disturbance can damage the delicate root system, sometimes to fatal results. Selecting something to contrast with the dark red foliage is a good idea, like bboy's suggestion of blue leaved hostas. You could add Japanese painted ferns as well to pick up the coloring of both the hostas and the tree foliage. I like the contrast of gold tones myself, so golden leaved hostas, Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa 'Aureola' or 'All Gold'), Campanula 'Dickson's Gold', spotted London Pride (Saxifraga x urbium 'Aureopunctata) or Lamium 'Anne Greenaway' or 'Aureum' and autumn fern are all suitable choices. Epimediums are an excellent choice as well, as is any moisture preferring, shade tolerant groundcover or part shade perennial that doesn't require frequent division. FWIW, my JM's are planted in the middle of mixed borders with an assortment of a wide variety of part shade shrubs, perennials/grasses and groundcovers surrounding them. So the notion that "nothing" will grow under them is very misplaced....See MoreBloodgood Japanese Maple ?
Comments (1)Your tree should be fine as long as it has gotten adequate water. Japanese maples drop their leaves and go dormant during the winter. Its roots should continue to grow through the winter and it should leaf out nicely in the spring. Shade is probably a good thing if you live in Dallas as your area is on the hot side for most Japanese maples, but its leaves might not be as red during the summer as one grown in a sunnier location. The only thing I would suggest doing now is to mulch around the base of the tree to help conserve moisture in the soil....See Morejapanese maple bloodgood crisping up
Comments (22)LOL!! lanna, if that amount of water was fine, then you would not have a problem with the leaves crisping and dying. It doesn't matter if the tree is large or not, 5 minutes a day is NOT getting the water far enough down into the soil profile to be of sufficient benefit to the roots. Japanese maples, well established or not, are not the slightest bit drought tolerant and young trees even less so. Just try less frequent but longer watering intervals and see if things perk up. Drought stress on JM's can be quite cumulative and not show all signs immediately. Just because the cambium is still green now does not mean that tree cannot succumb from drought over time. Also, any kind of stressor on JM's - like drought - leaves the trees prone to opportunistic pathogens, like Verticillium wilt. I can't stress this enough - it really DOES make a huge difference on how one waters plants in the landscape!!...See MoreJapanese Bloodgood Maple near house?
Comments (39)Assuming it can grow well under your site conditions* the maple will be fine there as long as you are not bothered psychologically by its proximity to the house, or having it drop leaves in the gutters each fall and so on. Or it doesn't become a highway for roof rats (any tree that branches near a roof can provide easy access for these common pests of areas near salt water). 'Bloodgood' is a tall variety growing over 30 ft. high. *You might want to read the discussion under Acer palmatum in the plant encyclopedia section of the Sunset Western Garden Book of growing Japanese maples in arid areas like Southern California...See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agotlbean2004
9 years agotlbean2004
9 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agotlbean2004 thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)