I am interested in your columbine seeds. If possible I would take some of each color. I can send you some other colors? I have purple and purple with white, I have two shades of pink. As for Japanese maples, it is easier to take cuttings than to start from seeds. More chance of getting same as parent tree. I have one here but am not sure if mature enough to produce seeds yet. will keep an eye on it though. Send me an email directly and we can exchange addresses. You can also see my seed list for something else you may want if you do not want more columbine colors.

How is it coming along? Is this "main branch" like half your tree? This is a Acer Palmatum we are talking about not a large tree which is going to overhang your bedroom and kill you if it comes apart so you have little to lose with the bolting. If it doesn't show any activity in a week or two I might just cut it off and let the rest of the tree do fine w/o it.

Hmmm...where to start. First of all, there are nearly a thousand different cultivars of Japanese maples. About a third (or maybe more) of them have red leaves at least a portion of the year. Secondly, japanese red maple would be a misleading name since a red maple is a native maple to the US that has green leaves and red flowers. Red japanese maple would make more sense. So, "Japanese red maple" could refer to one of hundreds of cultivars that have been reproduced by grafting, or it could be a red seedling that shows good red characteristics. This would mean that 'red select' is a specific cultivar of a red japanese maple. You must also consider whether or not it is a weeping red dissectum (fine lacy leaves) or an upright palmatum (star shaped leaves). 'Red select' is one of many red dissectum cultivars (lacy and weeping). I think 'red select' is a seedling from 'inaba shidare' (guys I know Vertrees claims that they are one in the same, but I have convincing information that says otherwise). They are similar, but some claim there are distinct differences (and by distinct I mean practically with a magnifying glass). Other similar common cultivars include 'crimson queen', 'tamukeyama', 'garnet', and the newer 'red dragon'. A couple of good red upright cultivars include 'bloodgood' and 'fireglow'. Search these names and this should shed some light on what the differences are.

Once they have developed their second set of true leaves and can be potted up, they can receive some dilute liquid fertilizer. But they won't need nor should receive much. 1/3 or half strength after potting and then once or twice more through the growing season.