Please, help?

In Jacksonville, I would try a green seedling Japanese Maple (or a tough variety like Osakazuki or Hogyoku) in high pine shade or someplace where it won't get PM sun.

I wish I could help you...I know it sucks when you need help & no one responds. It isn't you, it's that fact that no one knows the answer. Try it over on the trees forum. There is a guy from FL that frequents that forum quite a bit that could probably help you, goes under the name saccharum if I'm not mistaken. If nothing else check out the 5 favorite maples thread going on & pay attention to the folks who are posting their favorites in climates like yours.

Thank you, guys, for your help. I really, really do appreciate it. I have been watching the "five favorites" thread as well as the "Texas Full Sun" thread. I'm a little farther south than his zone 8, but I do plan on putting this in the shade and taking proper care of it. What I'm really thinking about doing, is after figuring out what kinds are best for me, ordering seeds on Ebay. That way I'll get 20+ (I've learned that cultivers aren't true, but not that big of a deal to me) and out of 20 or more, hopefully I'll get that ONE. :)

Very smart move. I'm on the opposite spectrum of you, trying to get these to grow in a colder climate than they are suppose to. I am not willing to pay the $50 to try that out, but I will pay the $15-25 range to test it (via mailorder as well). Good Luck...& now you will be the expert in Jax, FL. for the next person to come along with the same ?.

Love the Yard,

I lived in Gainesville, FL for over 20 years and I watched various people try red leaved varieties. All I can tell you is that ulimately none survived. There was one I remember in a shady yard that lived as a bushy short "tree" for a number of years but finally gave up the ghost. There is a green variety that grows quite well there, but I don't know the name.

Interestingly, IFAS at the University of Florida suggests using these in the landscape as far south as the panhandle and even the Gainesville area. See the link below and click any of the Acer palmatum varieties for a PDF.

Here in Kyushu they are native to the mountains. Although grown in large quantity in the lowlands, the summer heat always scorches the foliage and by August most red leaved varieties are either without leaves or have lost 50% or more of them. Still, the plants persist and even thrive under these conditions. Although we have a USDA cold hardiness rating of zone 9, our winters are more in line with Atlanta, Georgia. Hence, the chill hours here are probably two to three times that of Jacksonville. Additionally, the intense heat of summer lasts at most two and half months unlike Florida which can be hot four or even four and half months.

Still its worth a try if you really want one. I wouldn't invest too much money in them, and keep your hope positive and yet in check! Good luck. PF

Here is a link that might be useful: IFAS Site

i can't say that this one will be happy as far south as you are but sources are indicating that 'glowing embers' is one of the most heat-tolerant selections. they report it can handle full sun (georgia) and was selected by dr. michael dirr from his plant evaluation trials.
maybe start out with a small one, in a container and find a suitable spot for it in your yard.
or, the seedling choice is a good route - even they have good fall color. i don't think i have ever seen an ugly japanese maple. ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: gold medal plants for 2005

I don't know if this is much help to you or not, but I've seen some red leaved forms growing in the downtown historic areas of Charleston and Savannah. I'm sure that being right on the water might help "cool" things off a bit in summer... but still that is a very warm zone 8/9.. I'm not sure what variety they are.. I remember though seeing two very large ones (20ft. plus) in a Charleston garden, which looked to me like plain old "Bloodgoods" and they were subjected to a fair amount of "southern" sunshine (4-6hrs??), though they were on the north side of the house and partially shaded by some live oaks. Good luck

Would the failures caused by a lack of dormancy period instead of direct heat in summer?

PoorOwner,

I would suggest that it is a combination of the duration of intense heat in Florida along with the lack of appropriate chill hours in winter. The Jacksonville area probably gets somewhere in the range of 400-450 chill hours per winter and that's just not enough for most JM to make it in the long haul. PF

Well, here is an answer to my question posed back in May. The other day, I was driving around neighborhoods to get landscaping ideas. In the front yard of a home was a beautiful japanese maple! Below are two pics that I took. Since it is not mine, I don't know the variety, but here it is looking happy and healthy in Jacksonville, Florida right off San Pablo Road!

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Thanks for the pic. I am in Pensacola, FL and have over 15 different JM's. Most of the red diss (Garnet, Tamekeyam, Red Select) got leaf burn and have totally releafed out this month. I think they would have done much better if they weren't in pots--I am using them for a landscape project so they aren't in the ground yet. My variegated trees; Orido Nishiki, Benishishenge and Ukigumo got a little leaf burn--but again, they are not in ground. All my maples get some pm sun, and I did use Protekt, but not nearly as much as I should have to keep them from burning, especially since they are potted. All have releafed and look good now. We'll see what happens over the winter and how they come back in the spring.

Hi, I live in Mobile, AL. and I have several varieties of these beautiful little trees. I also sold them on a retail lot for years in terrible cultural conditions for them--never lost a single tree. Yes, some of mine get their leaves burned by mid summer but that isn't reason enough to not grow them. Since we've had so many hurricanes this year the ones I have in vulnerable areas have been completely stripped of foliage and have leafed out like spring again. I do try to plant my maples as an understory plant or perhaps on the northeast corner of a structure, where they can receive morning sun and be protected from the burning afternoon sun--they still receive bright light for hours. I'd try 'Inaba Shidre' (in full sun, in ground here for years now), 'Tamukeyama', 'Sango Kaku' ('Beni Kawa' might be a superior cultivar for a coral bark), and 'Crimson Queen'. These are maples that have proven the test of time here, both for me and my clients, and what the growers in our area know will please. Spend a little time checking out the grower sites online and familiarize yourself with the choices. There are several nurseries that sell small "starter" maples on ebay at fair prices. Good luck!

PoorOwner wote:

"Would the failures [be] caused by a lack of dormancy period instead of direct heat in summer?"

The answer is definately yes. Although a tree can be burned to death by extreme summer heat coupled with serious or prolonged dehydration, the real threat lies in the lack of dormancy (or rather, the disruption of dormancy). This also the main reason why most maples can't be grown indoors.

This is what happens: A deciduous tree kept in a warm place will eventually enter dormancy, even without cold. But it stays dormant. Getting cold and then warming up is the tree's alarm clock. A perpetually warm tree goes comatose.

Note: The cold doesn't have to be extreme. I think a couple months of temperatures generally below 40F are sufficient.

Being in the Tallahassee area, north side of the county, we have no problem with growing these. i have Bloodgood, Sango Kaku and Emperor One. my mother grew several since the 70’s. I think we do well with them due to our emense tree coverage and Orangeburg clay, loam soil although our summers are just as hot as the Orlando area.