TRAINING JAPANESE MAPLES AS MULTI-STEM TREES

It was a couple of years ago, August 2024 to be precise, that I decided to train Japanese acer palmatum 'Katsura' into a multi-stem tree so that I could underplant it and make more use of my small garden.  I asked the advice of a friend who owns Ichi-Coo Park, part of the National Garden Scheme, in Surrey.  He said to go for it.  So I went for it, and this is the result.

Acer palmatum 'Katsura' - 28 April 2026

It had been encroaching on the territory of the dwarf James Grieve apple tree just in front of it, and so it was a matter of necessity as much as anything. 

Further horticultural problems were that I had planted Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan' in a place it was not happy.  I placed it in one west-facing position, it got scorched.  I moved it to another position, and it gets scorched.  Now I cannot move it at all without risking destroying it because it has managed to run its roots under rocks (my garden is high on the Pennines and the rock is sand-stone).  

Not only that (it gets worse) it was getting in the way of accessing my shed (duh) so I decided to prune Jordan too, in an attempt to get another trained tree. I have decided that Jordan's problem is that although it is lovely in spring with its bright yellow leaves, during summer the sun and the wind causes it to dry out at the roots, despite watering, and the leaves get scorched. It is worsened by the fact that my garden slopes and Jordan is planted at the top of the slope, so naturally all water runs downhill.  Now, Katsura couldn't care less. Katsura gets the full blast of wind, rain, snow, scorching sun and shrugs it off.  It has the reputation of being a toughie and I had expected Jordan to be the same. We live and we learn.

In an effort to get Jordan to survive, I have bought two Olla pots (RHS Olla pots) which I plan to sink into the ground near Jordan's roots at the end of May when risk of frost has passed.   

This is Jordan at the beginning of training.  

Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan' - 28 April 2026

Ignore all the mess at the base of the compost bin, it's temporary while I reorganise much of the garden.  The rock you see is typical of what I have been digging out of my garden since 2010.