Hi Evonne, I used to have a Japanese Red Maple similar to yours and I really miss it. I have a lot of seeds (all grown in zone 5) that you are looking for and was wondering if you would be willing to send me a few of your volunteers for multiple packs of seeds as a trade, since I already have some Japanese maple seeds. To name a few, I have Nigella, Cosmos Picotee and others, Coreopsis, lots of Columbine, Amaranthus (I may have some Joseph's Coat), Echinachea (the new varieties that you are looking for), Crazy Daisy, Nippon Daisy, Toad Lily, Astilbe, Dianthus, Dahlias, Zinnias and many many more on my trade list. Let me know if you would like to trade! Thanks! Carol

There is no way a pre-emergent herbicide can distinguish between weeds and what we may consider non-weeds. They are simply all broadleafed plants and the effect should be the same. That's why it is not recommended to use pre-emergents where you will be sowing seeds or allowing self-sown seeds to germinate. I would attempt using Preen or some other pre-emergent before I'd resort to RoundUp, even in clear areas under the tree canopy. There is some evidence that repeated use of RoundUp across a tree's root system can have damaging effects. I realize you may be dealing with a great many seedlings, but I'd recommend manual removal over and above anything else. I deal with freely seeding maples myself and understand what a PITA it is to get rid of them. Raking up the samaras when they fall would be my first step. The less of these that remain on the ground, the less germination that will take place and many fewer seedlings to deal with.

You might be able to get 'daisy' bushes. Search on 'Federation daisies'. They come from Australia and can cope with hot weather quite easily. Dahlias come in many heights and styles. Grow them as you would grow potatoes - good soil and reliable water. The big 'tree dahlia' will grow six to ten feet but it does flower quite late in the season and is often finished by frost. However, there are others that will grow to six feet, so long as you give them a supporting stake. You can go for a 'cool' colour range - white, pinks, sft orange, pale yellow; or warm colours - reds, oranges, strong yellows, two-colour and purple. Just not blue. They aren't really annuals. Give them a year to make size. If your zone is 8 or below you may have to lift them each year and store them in a frost-free place. Once they look like a clump of sweet potatoes with many sprouting stems they will flower for months until the frosts come so long as you can give them water in dry times.

If I can expand on Mike's comments.......it would only be private parties that would be interested in a tree that size. A landscaper wanting something mature for a client or a homeowner with a big, high-end, new construction project. It is well beyond the scope of anything a nursery would consider and most will only purchase stock from certified growers. And moving a tree of that size is an extremely expensive undertaking - thousands of dollars!! Any purchaser will figure that expense into their cost for the tree and the tree itself declines in value proportionally. It's a bit of a situation where the more it costs to move, the less value the tree has........there are no guarantees that a move of a tree that size would be successful and no one wants to fork out big bucks only to have the whole thing fail. Before I did anything else I would have a certified arborist come out and look at how the tree canopy could be reduced in size. Japanese maples are often planted very close to structures and there is little concern about damage to structures from these trees - they tend to be structurally stable and without an aggressive root system. Some judicious pruning by a professional could reduce the size and spread of the canopy and the tree could happily remain in place for another couple of decades with similar attention from time to time. Or you can have it removed and sell the firewood :-) But that seems like an unfortunate end for a very venerable and mature tree!!