Zen and the art of Acer maintenance

IF THERE is one tree in the garden of Torre Abbey that attracts more attention than any other it is our venerable and gloriously coloured Japanese maple.

Quite which variety it may be is anyone’s guess, as there are no planting records for it and any number of cultivars it might be. Nevertheless, even without a name, it offers visitors a visual treat all year round.

In spring it puts out copper coloured young leaves all over its umbrella shaped branch structure which turn, for a brief but extraordinary moment in autumn, to fiery orange.

The full autumn display is simply breathtaking, a firework explosion of flame colours, which disappears at the first sign of wind.

Even without leaves, though, its structure and bark are still immensely attractive. Striations up the aged twisted trunk make it look like snakebark, although properly speaking that epi- thet is given to other larger acers grown specifically for their bark colouration. Still there is clearly a familial relationship somewhere.

Which is interesting as acer species have a reputation for living side by side without hybridising.

In this country Acer pseudoplatanus (sycamore), Acer platanoides ( Norway maple) and Acer campestre( our indigenous field maple) all exist close together in areas without the slightest temptation to mix up their genes, unlike, say, apples which are as promiscuous as they come.

These three are all larger trees, stalwarts of parks, farmland and deciduous woodland. Japanese acers (Acer palmatum) are very definitely better suited to the garden.

They are small, deciduous trees with a graceful habit, autumn colour and beautiful foliage which may be coloured or deeply dissected. Most grow extremely slowly and are perfect in a smaller garden or grown in large containers.

When acers were first named by Linnaeus in 1753, nine species were mentioned and recorded. Today there are more than 150. The Japanese have been growing and cultivating Acer pal- matum, originally a species from the high altitude forests of China, Korea and Taiwan, for at least 300 years.

Red-leafed cultivars are by far and away the most popular. A. palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, A. palmatum ‘Crimson Queen’ and A. palmatum ‘Burgundy Lace’ are all easy to obtain but there are plenty of other colours and styles.

Bright green, finely dissected cultivars are very ‘in’ at the moment, providing feathery texture and freshness through spring and summer before exploding with colour in autumn. Try A. palmatum dissectum ‘Virididis’ for sheer cascading elegance.

Acers are quite easy to propagate by softwood cuttings or seed, although the resulting specimens from seed may be a little erratic, hence they can be bought quite cheaply as young plants.

The vast majority of A. palmatum cultivars will be happy enough in just about any normal range garden soil, as long as conditions are not too wet, dry or very alkaline (chalky) Although there are a few that may need more specific conditions these are unlikely to be found in your local garden centre so simply plant them in autumn, if possible, adding a good amount of organic matter and little else.

What they do require is shelter from cold northerly and easterly winds, gales from the west and exposure to very late frost, once the new growth has started to appear. Shelter is probably the key requirement but generally they are hardy. Their perfect environment is probably cool, sheltered, dappled shade, avoiding the strong midday sun, although some varieties are more tolerant than others. For specimen trees, in the middle of a lawn, for example, choose one of the red leafed, more robust varieties over yellow or orange as the reds are less prone to sun scorch.