I have had the opportunity of buying a few trees from Della over the years myself, and can vouch for all the things that is said about her and her passion for maples. I came to know of Della after a message similar to what David had posted, in this forum or some other forum, and I am glad I got to know her. Like David, I have not met her nor do I get a kick back, but I try to push her name as much as I can to people who want a decent deal and with Della you can bet on it. I cannot say the same of the other maple business that sell on ebay and online. What makes Della different is her passion for maples, without which maples are just trees (I had a friend look at my trees and ask if I was crazy collecting these "stupid" trees). I actually like the way David expresses his opinion, at least it keeps the forum alive and ticking. The last time I saw the word "outed" thrown about was in the "Japanese garden" forum before it sunk. xman

Thank you for the response David! I don't "think" I'm pushing the zone limits as these are readily available at nurseries around here. My thinking was it was the afternoon sun, but I can't say for sure! I think I'm going to put this one on the north side of the yard, right near the woods. There isn't a ton of sun, or wind over there. The Maple that didn't come back was in the front and had a LOT of afternoon sun, but also, we've had several storm door hinges destroyed from the winds coming up the street and driveway, so it might have been the wind over the winter that did it in. Thanks again!

Susan, Yes This is a Viridis not a Seiryu. The leaves in the picture appear large due to close up with the camera. The branches on the tree also cascade for a lovely effect. I don't think this tree is brow beaten at all. The photo only shows a flat view , if I could only show a full 360 view. It has the light airy, layered wind swept look. Due to it's age and being still a very young specimen the full impact of this style has yet to be seen. The leaders can be staked to grow upwards and then the stake moved to the opposite side. Making for a very interesting bark twig habit . Pruning here and there . Being a bed fellow with the hydrangea shouldn't pose a problem , both grow well in low PH , Both like moist but fast draining soil for intolerance of wet feet. This bed is on the outskirts of the house foundation which naturally has sharp drainage, no pooling of water here. I don't fertilize my lawn and most of the lawn is going anyway. So many of the dissectum are growing as mounds , This one should be an interesting change . I want to thank everyone for their help with this tree. I have moved it further out since posting and turned it as well . It looks pleasing plus an added bonus has been since I have planted this tree it has been overcast so this helps .

A little update -- I've gone a little crazy over here, although by what I have read on the Maples forum, I may just be getting started... I now have 7 Japanese Maples, 3 in pots, and 4 in the ground. These are the cultivars I'm growing: --Bloodgood --Emperor 1 --Seiryu --Butterfly --Orangeola --Inaba Shidare --Sango Kaku I'm happy to report that my bloodgood is putting on all kinds of new growth and seems to be adjusting after an early summer windy week that turned its leaves brown. Also, I'm growing my Orangeola, Butterfly and Seiryu in full sun and they are also all putting on new growth. I'm planning to wrap the trees that are in the ground to protect them from our winter wind. I have planted a row of Junipers to protect them, but these are not quite tall enough yet. I am interested to hear from other people in Colorado what they do for the winter, which cultivars work in what locations, etc... I have generally found people at nurseries to be skeptical, and most of the information available to be quite conflicting in terms of conditions, etc... and I realize that the environments vary so much that this is naturally the case. However, I think those of us willing to experiment in Colorado, might learn a lot from each other experiences. I'm also looking forward to shaping over the winter. I have finally picked up Vertrees Japanese Maples book, and another by Hobson about pruning and shaping called "Niwaki". Both of these are excellent resources, and while I had heard about Vertrees (THE book on Japanese Maples) the other was new. Niwaki is a fantastic explanation for pruning, shaping, and working with your trees to achieve the effects of the Japanese Gardens. In fact, it explains exactly how to do it... Anyhow, I'm also excited that I have 4 seasons of gardening rather than the 2-3 of the standard western garden. Fun! I look forward to hearing updates from any of you willing to share.. and I'll post some pictures of everything above laster this week. Tom