It has been a while since I last posted on my blog as things have just been ticking over in the garden. I had to share this photograph of the Acer palmatum Osakazuki that I bought earlier this year, and almost killed off! It seems happy enough in its new home, despite the howling winds here at about 850ft above sea level on the Pennines. It is said to be perhaps the reddest of Japanese acers, maples, in autumn. I can believe it. Can it possibly get any redder?
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| Acer palmatum Osakazuki |
When it arrived at my home back in May, after buying it online, it was so healthy and full of green leaves, and I never gave it a thought to having to harden it off and it suffered severe weather damage to its tender leaves. After that sharp learning experience, I protected it for a while and then stuck it in its pot within a large, heavyweight, terracotta pot on the top patio where it will have to either like it or lump it. I cannot say it is liking it but it is doing well enough and did create new leaves during summer. It wasn't cheap so I hope it survives the winter. It really is a thing of beauty. Growing it in a plastic pot packed around with pine mulch within a frost-proof terracotta pot should protect it.  |
| Acer palmatum Osakazuki - 7 May 2026 |
I have nearly all my pots on plant caddies and really like the Tom Chambers plant caddies which are my latest addition. They come in different sizes and make it so easy to move my containers around.
The Tom Chambers caddies seem strong and well made but I have the Osakazuki set up on this plant caddy which I bought from Amazon UK and is advertised as being able to support 200kg. |
| TreeGun plant caddy |
My most seriously frost-proof pots, however, are the Monachou terracotta pots, also sold by the RHS at the time of writing. This below has Acer palmatum Sango-Kaku in it, pot within pot.
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| Monachou Fardipata Cretan Terracotta Pot |
Below is the pot that Osakazuki is in. It is the Kitchen Garden Terracotta Pot, made in Turkey, which I bought from RHS online but you can buy them elsewhere.
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| Acer palmatum Osakazuki in Kitchen Garden Terracotta Pot |
