Any experience with Acer japonicum 'Acontifolium' (Full Moon Maple)?
Does anyone have experience with Acer japonicum 'Acontifolium' or Full Moon Maple? This specimen sat underneath tall loblolly pines at the nursery. I think it will do okay in medium or dappled shade. The photo is looking south from my back yard patio. My main two questions are about planting location and pruning.
1. Planting Location...
I am debating whether to plant it here by a patio pathway to keep it with some bloodgoods and azaleas, or to plant it out front by a rock formation as a specimen tree (but I'd have to dig up a 7x7 foot barberry that is pretty well established.) What would you do?
2. Pruning...
Is this tree best left to shape itself into a rounded shape, or should I train it into a multi-stemmed tree, exposing the stems for about the first 5-6 feet? This tree is starting to send up some healthy shoots from about 8-10 inches from the base, and if I let them grow, they will probably grow into stems. I kind of want to plant it by a walkway to make it more of an umbrella shaped specimen that people could walk under. But maybe it is best left to take its natural shape?
***
(Some other info: I am in Zone 7a, or 7b depending on which map you look at, kind of on the border, with clay soil in a forested bottomland area, about 1100 foot elevation. Both sites are protected from wind but the front area gets a few hours of late afternoon sunlight. The back yard has more dappled shade with some sun, e.g., iris and canna bloom there, but not profusely. The backyard has a "pool sized" clearing in an otherwise forested area.)
Comments (9)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agoRelated Discussions
The beautiful chalk maple ... Can it thrive on full sun?
Comments (20)Oh, and FWIW, although, if you believe the official range maps, we're technically about ~15-~25 miles SE of the edge of Acer saccharums native range, the planted ones that are extremely abundant here have no problem spreading their seeds & those seeds sprouting and growing. The empty house next door to me that is being remodeled had a 2" caliper sugar maple sapling yanked out of a permanent (built into the porch) raised bed the other day (I'd have tried to dig it myself had I known it was there) that was obviously a seed that sprouted itself. You also see them popping their little heads up over the boxwood and azalea plantings around here sometimes. So I'm sure a mixed planting as you and I both suggest could yield some interesting crosses 15 or so years from now. Who knows...there might be a genetic combination that could create a tree far more able to dominate our forests than what we have now (since A. saccharum is a minor component in MD even where it is native, except at some high elevations in the far western part of the state)....See Moregolden full moon maple seedling question
Comments (2)Karen, Are you interested in swapping any plants? I would love to try growing some (or one) of your full moon seedlings. I don't have any JM seedlings, but have some sugar maples as well as lots of hostas, ornamental grasses and various perennials to trade....See MoreAnyone growing Full Moon Maple 'Otaki' (Acer japonicum)?
Comments (11)mjh and mucknmire, thanks for the worldplants info. Sometimes ya just can't afford to buy all your plants nice and big. I'm glad to hear their trees are good quality. I did buy a Sharp's Pygmy this weekend at a local nursery because of the year guarantee, and I did also buy a little Beni Otaki on Ebay because the price was great (this is beginning to sound like a confession), and I may yet get one more little one to put in a pot from worldplants, because their prices are so good. Maiku Jaku ended up at the top of my list because I really like the photos I've seen of it, but then I decided I really need to go SMALL (I have very limited space). I just hope the palmatums I bought prove hardy enough for my conditions. If not, next year, it'll be one of the japonicums. Thanks for the worldplants info. Christina...See MoreFull Moon Japanese Maple, or full of bull salesman??
Comments (5)I have several different varieties of Acer japonicum and Acer shirasawanum that some would refer to as Full Moon Maples. I will take some pictures of individual leaves this weekend and post them on the gallery forum for you to see. They can be quite different. As was mentioned above one has to know the cultivar name to have any good idea of what tree they are looking at. It all can be very confusing at times especially when it is a common name someone is using. Unfortunately some trees have the wrong cultivar names on them also. Keep checking back on the gallery until I get them posted. All of these trees have had a awsome spring and look great. Kent...See Moredbarron
6 years ago
davidrt28 (zone 7)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
6 years agodbarron
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoEmbothrium
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
6 years ago(ryanga7a) Ryan M
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoThank you everyone! I picked off a few leaves. Doesn't look like a regular one to me. Do you think this can be an "A. j. Attaryi" ?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)