Japanese maple GARNET

Japanese maple GARNET (Acer palmatum dissectum 'Garnet') – a cultivar of the deciduous species Japanese maple of the genus Acer, family Sapindaceae (or Aceraceae). Bred in the Netherlands (Boskoop) by the breeder G. Bros and introduced for sale in 1959.

It is a small deciduous tree up to 4 m in height and up to 2 m in width, with a spreading crown. Shoots are long and thin, forming an umbrella-shaped crown.

The leaves are filigree, simple, deeply dissected into 5-9 toothed lobes. The segments in the typical form number 5, less often 7, are ovate-lanceolate or oblong, acuminate, with margins coarsely and sharply doubly serrate. Smooth, glabrous, but covered with hairs in the vein axils on the underside. In spring they are bright red; from early summer they begin to acquire a deeper color — up to burgundy, and by autumn become red-purple. Petioles 4-5 cm long, thin.

Flowers small, gathered in erect, few-flowered corymbs of 10-20 flowers; each flower has five red or purple sepals and five whitish petals. Stamens 8. Ovary glabrous. Blooms in May.

Fruits are samaras up to 2 cm long, spreading at an obtuse angle or directed almost horizontally, curved. The ripening samaras are red. Later they become light gray and hang, decorating the tree throughout the winter. Fruits ripen in September.

Hardiness zone: 5-8 (-29°C).

Location: requires moist soil and air. It is recommended to plant in sites protected from cold winds and bright sun. Optimal acidity — pH 6.0 - 7.5

Planting: Place the root collar at ground level; for plants that produce abundant suckers, slightly bury it up to 5 cm. If groundwater is close, drainage consisting of crushed stone 10-20 cm thick is necessary. Soil mix: humus or peat-compost, topsoil, sand in a ratio of 3:2:1. Mineral fertilizer (120-150 g nitroammofoska) can be added to the planting hole.

Watering: After planting - 20 L per plant. Most maples can tolerate dry soil, but grow better with watering. Watering norm in dry periods: 10-20 L per plant once a week. With normal rainfall: 10-20 L per plant once a month.

Care: Young plants should be covered with spruce boughs near the root collar during severe winters when snow cover is insufficient. If shoots are damaged by frost, one-year-old shoots should be pruned. The crown will recover due to new shoots that have time to harden before the onset of frost. Standard (grafted) plants should be wrapped with burlap in 1-2 layers in the first 2-3 years after planting to protect against frost cracks. Their winter hardiness increases with age.

Pruning: Can be grown in bonsai style. Requires sanitary pruning.

Pests: Whitefly, mealybug, leaf weevil.

Diseases: Powdery mildew, black spot

Propagation: Seeds after collection are sown into the ground or stored in a cool dry place at 0 — 5 °C and 10 — 15% humidity, and before spring sowing are stratified at 0 — 3 °C in moist sand for 2 months. Sowing depth 1.5 — 2 cm. Germination of full-sized seeds 60 — 65%.

Uses: a beautiful ornamental tree with a tent-shaped crown, unusual leaf shape and color, and attractive flowers. Used in solitary and group plantings in parks, squares, and along paths.