Beni Kosade 7/11/07

This cultivar is rare in the U.S. and it is delicate, requiring special care. This summer photo taken in July shows how this tree continues to hold interest, a difficult job considering the wildly vivid spring color.

Japanese Princess 7/11/07

The neat and tidy shape of this cultivar resembles Mikawa Yatsubusa but is clearly different, as is the color on the new growth.

Nishiki Momiji 5/10/07

I don't know a lot about this cultivar, it being new to my garden. However, it was very late in leafing out this year, and it leafed out spring green. I will post more when I know more about it.

Lovett (acer japonicum) 5/10/07

This japonicum is fairly bushy with a pretty rounded top. The newest leaves are a lighter green than the older ones. It's green in spring and summer, with lots of color in the fall.

Twomley's Red Sentinel 5/10/07

Here we have an upright-growing red maple, Twomley's Red Sentinel. It was introduced from Australia. It's new to my garden, so I don't have much to add, but so far it looks beautiful and quite promising.

Kurebe Yama 5/10/07

This is a new addition to the garden and I don't really know what to expect from this large-leafed cultivar. The spring colors are not usual, so let's hope for fall.

Koto Maru 5/20/06

Koto Maru is interesting because of its beautiful deep green color and the fact that each leaf is a slightly different shape from the others. I find it a finicky plant, good one year and not the next, even though it is well-taken care of.

Karaori Nishiki 5/10/07

Though it doesn't exhibit wild color, Karaori Nishiki is rather more subtle, with soft variegation. This is an elegant upright tree, always interesting at close range.

Kagiri Nishiki 5/9/07

Kagiri Nishiki has an interesting green base, almost a bluish-green, with pretty white or cream-colored variegation.

Jiro Shidare 5/16/07

Jiro Shidare is mostly green, with new growth a lighter green, but the most interesting thing about it is its totally cascading habit. It's perfect for a large and high pot or a steep slope.

Hoshi Kuzu 5/10/97

This is not a splashily-colored plant. It dwells in the subtle areas of the garden with light green spring foliage.

Emerald Lace 5/12/07

A delicate-looking tree, gorgeous throughout the year, and one with a formal, tidy habit.

Elmwood Spreader 5/7/07

Again, this is a new-comer to my garden, and I happen to have 2 of them. The one in most sun is exhibiting marvelous bronze and green colors, with the one in shade being more subdued. Neither show the "spreader" habit I had expected.

Eagles Claw 5/12/07

This is a new addition to the garden, so I don't have much to offer on it. The only characteristic that is different about this cultivar is the bent tips of the lobes, which look something like an eagle's claw.

Calico 5/4/07

Calico in the spring is one of the best: lovely yellow-green leaves tinged with red, the color holding for quite a long time. I have it paired with Katsura in my garden, to good effect.

Calico 11/21/05

The fabulous fall color alone makes this a keeper for the garden.

In the Pink 4/29/07

Although most cultivars with "pink" in the name fail to deliver, this is the real thing. It really does have pink coloring which lasts at least two months in springtime.

Iijima Sunago 5/20/07

Iijima Sunago has splendid spring color which lasts more than two months. It's an unusual rusty red color and has real presence in the garden.

Kinran 4/29/07

Kinran holds an unusual reddish/bronze color with bright green/yellow contrasting veins throughout the spring. Subtle changes in color occur weekly, all brilliant. In the autumn it turns gold with some red overtones. It's an outsanding cultivar.

Oshu Shidare 5/4/07

Oshu Shidare is an old, cascading cultivar with purple/red spring color turning greenish-red in summer, and bright red in autumn.

Sensu 4/29/07

Each leaf seems committed to its own plane. The long and flexible petioles allow the leaves to twist and turn in the slightest breeze. An elegant plant.

Green Trompenburg 4/29/07

As the name suggests, this is a green version of Trompenburg. The leaf shapes are identical. The only difference besides the color of the leaves is that my red trompenburg has a crazy growth habit and the green trompenburg is quite contained.

Spring Delight 4/27/07

This fast-growing cultivar sports delicate-looking long lobes with red tips and the tree has a mounding habit. It also has good fall color.

Aratama 5/18/07

Deep red glossy leaves contrasted with bright green contrasting veins typify this tree in spring-time. It is quite showy all spring.

First Ghost 5/21/07

This photo of First Ghost, taken 5/21/07, represents what I like about this cultivar, one of the best of the ghost series. The tree has an umbrella-like shape, and the light-colored leaves with contrasting veining look good all year.

Hippy Fin Mo 5/16/07

I admit to buying this cultivar solely on the basis of its name. It curls its lobes much like a larger version of Kurui Jishi.

Beni Gasa 5/7/07

Beni Gasa is really interesting: deformed leaves, each of a different color, but all leaves having bright greenish-yellow veins. It's a very attractive cultivar and is robust.

Shin deshojo 5/4/07

This is an elegant tree, far brighter and more intense in color than the wonderful Deshojo. It also holds its color for many weeks, and even while greening for summer, it's still interesting.

Beni Kosade 5/5/07

My Beni Kosade is very late leafing out, takes a long time doing so, but the color is worth waiting for: Intense pink which lasts and lasts. It reminds me of Geisha in some ways, i.e., taking a long time to leaf out and then showing great color.

Toyama Nishiki 5/5/07

Certainly a favorite of mine. The leaves unfurl in normal fashion, and once the leaves are out the variegation begins. It's a fascinating process.

Hupp's Red Willow 5/5/07

I have a difficult time telling one red strap-leafed linearilobum from another. I wonder if "red willow" and "Hupp's red willow" are the same plant.

Aka Kawa Hime 5/5/07

Aka Kawa Hime is the smallest of the coral bark maples and is not easily found. It's a neat and tidy small tree and needs to be pruned so its bark will show well.

Beni Tsukasa 4/13/07

This is such a gorgeous cultivar that the only problem is that it doesn't hold its unusual color longer, as one would like. In the spring it leafs out pink/cream, later turning pale butter yellow, and it's a lovely tree.

Irish Lace 4/29/07

This cultivar leafs out with prominent pale green bud scales which fade in April, but by that time the leaves have unfurled and have become a greenish-bronze. It has a mounding habit.

Sunset 4/25/07

The spring color of "Sunset" is most unusual: a bright terra cotta which lasts many weeks. The plant has a tidy growth habit and is exceptional in every way.

Dr. Seuss 4/6/07

Dr. Seuss was named for its wild and strange growth habits. Buds make little fists before unfurling deformed-looking leaves.

Shikage ori Nishiki 4/6/07

The best trait of this cultivar is the subtle pastel coloring on the leaves in April. In May the coloring becomes more consistently red.

Hupp's Dwarf 4/5/07

My Hupp's Dwarf only grows an inch or so a year, but it doesn't matter. It's a dense and rather dignified dwarf, and the newest leaves emerge pink and red. It's a hardy and beautiful cultivar.

Purple Ghost 4/5/07

Purple Ghost is a dramatic plant from the Shigatatsu Sawa collection. It tends to hold its color well throughout the spring and provides an colorful anchor.

Red Pygmy 4/17/07

This is a not very outstanding cultivar, but shows well in the garden especially in spring when it's leafing out.

Okagami 4/13/07

Okagami is an elegant, refined and beautiful cultivar. It has a graceful form which is just a bit formal, and it's best if placed in a location where backlighting can show it off well.

Kurui Jishi 4/13/07

I find this a charming plant. It always leafs out as a normal maple, and then in mid-Spring the lobes curl, creating a tiny funnel.

Ueno Homare 4/8/07

Ueno Homare and Ueno Yama provide the truest light yellow colors to my spring garden. Both are splendid plants. The main difference in my garden is that Ueno Yama has larger leaves than Ueno Homare. When adjusted for scale, though, the leaves are practically identical.

Beni Shi En 4/25/07

This most unusual cultivar is a real star. It's receiving full sun in our orchard area and is doing exceedingly well, with lots of variegation on each leaf. It's growing nicely. This tree deserves far more attention because it's really special.

Koshibori Nishiki 4/29/07

Koshibori Nishiki has all the makings of a great bonzai. It's small, tidy, and has subtle leaf colorations. The mostly green leaves are tidy, but the newest leaves arrive pale yellow with red accents. A lovely cultivar.

Baldsmith 4/13/07

This Baldsmith grows at an oblique angle and hangs over our seasonal stream. Usually during late May, some of the leaves will turn brilliant red, providing even more drama to a dramatic cultivar.

Rilas Red 4/10/07

From ten feet away, Rilas Red looks something like dark red cotton candy on a tree's stem. The tiny filaments which make up the leaves' lobes are so tiny that they seem like spider webs or the tiny fibers used in optics. A wonderfully busy little tree.

Fairy Hair 4/8/07

The leaves of Fairy Hair are exceedingly thin filaments, almost like corn silks. One has to get close to appreciate the plant, which is difficult to photograph.

Akaji Nishiki 4/6/07

Akaji Nishiki (also known as Bonfire) is the source of some disagreement in the maple community. Some feel the tree does not exist as a separate plant, but here it is, different from all the rest.

Beni Komachi 4/10/07

The name means "beautiful red-haired little girl" and this is a charming plant. This is the first maple I purchased, the one that got me obsessed with Japanese maples.