ACER SHIRASAWANUM 'JORDAN' HAS BRIGHT YELLOW LEAVES IN SPRING

I want to share a couple of photos I took this morning of Acer shirasawanum Jordan. Every spring it puts on a fabulous display to match any golden daffodil, and it is pure magic. I now have six Japanese maples: Jordan, Moonrise, Sango-Kaku, Osakazuki, Orange Dream, and Katsura but right now, mid May in West Yorkshire, Jordan is the attention grabber. 

Acer shirasawanum Jordan - 13 May 2026

Acer shirasawanum Jordan 13 May 2026

Jordan is being trained as a multi-stem tree which is the way to go when you only have a small garden and limited space.  Jordan gets scorched leaves every summer, unfortunately, and due to the fact that it has pushed its roots under rocks, under the lawn, it cannot be moved without the likelihood of killing it, so I have bought ollas pots which are mentioned here on my post about training acers as multi-stemmed trees to save ground space in a small garden.

The RHS says "Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan' should be situated in a sheltered spot preferably in partial shade to protect its foliage from leaf scorch. While it is one of the more sun-tolerant golden Japanese maples, it still requires protection from harsh, dry winds and late frosts."

I have to be honest, my Jordan is not in an ideal position and gets little mollycoddling but I really think that the problem with scorching is very much down to it not getting enough water where it is.  As I said, I have bought ollas pots which I will sink into the nearby soil in June and see if that makes any difference this year.  Fingers crossed.