There's More to Life Than Geisha Gone Wild!
Hello All, a big thanks to everyone that has enthusiastically ordered trees this year. So many great trees have flown out the door and to their forever homes. Which brings me to topic of this blog. Popular trees.
There are certain trees which have gained a following amongst the lovers of Japanese maples, with good reason. These trees have cool colours, attractive leaves, colourful bark, amazing fall/spring colours and so on. Just because a tree is highly sought after however, does not make it the best tree.
Take 'Sango kaku' for example. An absolutely stunning tree and so popular you typically will see it in amongst the half dozen Japanese maples that a box store retailer sells. And box stores know nothing about Japanese maples! Don't buy from them! Despite Sango's brilliant qualities, it is quite susceptible to a couple of diseases that can, in short order, turn your baby into a lifeless stick. In fact, I have lost every single one I personally have ever owned. And I am not alone on this. Does this happen to every one of these trees? No, of course not, otherwise no one would sell them anymore. But look on any Facebook page dedicated to Japanese maples and the same question always comes up, "What is happening to my 'Sango kaku'?" The point is, popular doesn't mean best.
So, while your searching through our website inventory, and you discover that 'Geisha Gone Wild' or 'First Ghost' is sold out, perhaps dig a little deeper and consider some other trees. Sometimes the tree you never even gave a second thought to is the tree you will end up finding quite a bit of joy with. This has happened to me for sure. 'Seiryu' was a tree that I didn't know a lot about when I first got one. But the more I got to know her, the more I realized what an excellent tree she was. 'Seiryu' is not the tree everyone clamours to first, but for me, knowing what I know about Japanese maple varieties/cultivars, it's one of the best. But there are many other. And frankly, I try to stock our nursery with excellent trees that I personally like and think you will like, too.
Aside from the descriptions on our product pages for trees, typically when you do a web search by entering the name of a Japanese maple followed by the words, "Japanese maple" you often will find other nurseries pages. North Carolina's Mr. Maple is an excellent resource for info on various Japanese maples. Other long running nurseries include, Mendocino Maples and Essence of the Tree amongst others. Mr. Maple is typically where you find the most information, and sometimes this includes videos and podcasts. These folks are total Japanese maple geeks, as am I, and if you're reading this, so are you! Another resource is the UBC forum for Japanese maples. You can sign up for this and peruse through the many topics and chat with many members from all over the world, or simply stumble upon pages from time to time in your web searching.
A little homework isn't the worst thing to do when you're searching for your tree. I mean, your tree is going to outlast your car, your furniture, and you!
Happy Hunting Everyone. Contact me with questions anytime. info@simplyjapanesemaples.ca
Chris