I think the best gardeners must be those who are willing to persevere. After all, it can be quite tough at times watching beloved plants succumb to pests, diseases, the weather, and ignorance of what they want (killing them with neglect or kindness). Although vine weevils killed off a lovely Japanese maple 'Orange Dream' of mine, I haven't given up on the idea of growing one of my favourite types of shrubs. After all, the
Acer palmatum dissectum 'Ornatum' that I grow is doing pretty well (so far!). The other day I bought another addition to my garden family: Acer palmatum 'Katsura'. It's a Japanese maple that hopefully will not grow too large and will be happy in a container. It has a delicate growth that's pretty and will be colourful at times.
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| Acer palmatum 'Katsura' 25 May 2016 |
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| Acer palmatum 'Katsura' 25 May 2016 |
At the moment my plant is tucked up in a sunny and sheltered corner of my garden, facing south-west. I'll keep a close eye on it to see how it fares in that situation. As you can see from the photo below, added more recently, the shrub is doing well.
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| Acer palmatum Katsura, 29 July 2016 |
The label says that Acer palmatum 'Katsura' will enhance any garden. It will also look wonderful in a pot or tub on the patio or balcony. The plant produces an upright branching bush with brilliant orange lobed leaves in spring. In summer the foliage colours to golden green and the autumn colour is a wonderful orange. It achieves a height of 150cm and width of 100cm. Cut back long shoots in March to promote compact growth. Tolerates both sun and shade. The plant is fully hardy but will need protection if planted in a pot. It likes a sandy, humus-rich soil. If this is not available add some garden peat to the planting hole.
I have planted mine in a terracotta pot in a multi-purpose compost. Remember that terracotta pots are porous and therefore the growing media dries out more rapidly. I use terracotta pots for a lot of my plants because the weight of the pot stops them blowing over.
The label doesn't mention it, but Japanese maples need shelter from strong winds which can scorch the foliage. I understand that if you grow Japanese maples in full sun you must ensure that the growing medium doesn't dry out. Keep it moist or the leaves will be damaged.
