Beautiful specimens!! I just picked up a couple of each of these just after the leaves fell for 90% off at the local nursery:

Katsura
Oshio Beni
Orange Dream
Viridis
Red Dragon
Tsuma gaki
Koto no ito
Aconitifolium
Emperor 1
Corallinum
Autumn Moon
Shindeshojo
Sparp's Pigmy
Red Pigmy

Can't wait to see them all come spring with buds a burstin'.

Grancru

Wow Grancru, That's what I call a sale! Sounds like next Spring is going to be fun. Congrats on your latest aquisitions and thanks for the response, Dan

Much of the appeal of the fall color of the Acer palmatum cultivars specifically is that it is shiny.

A 90% discount??!! That's incredible!! My nursery puts their maples on sale only once a year - in September for fall planting - and only at a 30% discount. Period. I would assume in Michigan they are clearancing them so as not have to overwinter. That's got to be big blow to them financially as generally anything more than a 50% discount is a money-losing situation. But a huge bargain for you! Congrats!!

I don't have pictures to share, but fall color was really excellent in my area also. The best of the bunch of my personal collection was A. japonicum 'Green Cascade', which looks very smiliar to your 'Kujaku Nishiki' Dan, but with perhaps larger foliage and a bit more color variation. (btw, I am not familiar with that selection at all - can you share some info?). My other stunners were 'Mikawa Yatsbusa' which always puts on a good show for such a tiny little tree, and 'Autumn Moon' and surprisingly 'Sango Kaku' (or the tree David loves to hate :-)), which was a rich apricot and butterscotch with red highlights. All the rest colored up nicely as well, but these ones really shone.

I think that is sort of stramge ....I would think they would sell no more at 90% than 50%...I don't think any store in their right mind would offer that unless there was some sort of problem or or they are going under and then that would be after a gradual discounting down. Even over wintering if they thought they'd loose some they certainly would not loose any where near 90% ...I would generally say most deep discounters price high to offer bigger discounts but no matter how high I don't think 90% would be anything other than a big looser.The old saying goes "if it seems to be too good to be true it probably is!!! I hope I am wrong but being in the retail biz for over 30 years and knowing markups , discounts of both mom and pop operations and big box retailers ...a 90 % discount raises a red flag ... your best hope is they are going under ..if they arn't... with those retail principlesor stupidity no matter how established they are they will be going under soon... I would suspect!! ..David

Those are beautiful maples Dan. Grancu, congrats on the great bargains! I too would love to see pictures of maples in their full fall color. I am just starting out, so all I have are seedlings or small specimens. They are not very spectacular. Here are a few. This is a seedling of a coral bark maple.

This a seedling of red pygmy.

This is a seedling of Seiryu.

And this is a golden full moon maple that I bought. I just planted it this fall.

Karen

I will post photos of everything come spring. The nursery I stole these from is English Gardens here in Michigan. They are a high end nursery/landscape designer and offer a one year guarantee. They are very reputable and have a number of locations. They have the same sale every fall to clear out items. I have picked up a wide range of deciduous trees (many maples) and conifers in years past from them and if I ever lost one they honored the guarantee. Only plants ever lost were a couple conifers.

Grancru

Hi Gardengal. Acer japonicum 'Kujaku nishiki' is a variegated form, with leaves like 'Aconitifolium'. It's not supposed to be the easiest cultivar to keep, but I've never been one to shy away from a challenge. I've got it in a premium microclimate spot, so we'll see how it does.
I ended up moving last year's fall favorite, A.p. 'Sekimori', so it didn't look as good this year. I love it's golden yellow fall color. Here's last years photo before it was moved.

Thanks for sharing your favorites.
Karen, beautiful photos. I especially like the yellow of your first seedling picture. I appreciate the photos, thanks, Dan

Kujaku = peacock and nishiki = brocade. With the latter word in the cultivar name it's not surprising it's variegated, as this is used for other variegated maples.

Here are some of mine. I missed my Aconitifolium cause my camera went on the fritz, but it was awesome. Ditto with a small psuedosieboldianum.

Seiryu

Omure Yama

Seedling

Waterfall

Acer Shirasawanum 'Microphyllum' was great this year compared to last year

A late pic of the Aconitifolium

Chishio Improved

Bill

Crimson Queen

Green Star

Red Dragon

Virdis, Garnet, Crimson Queen

Fireglow

Tamuke yama

Waterfall

Kiyohime

This is what I was hoping for. Keep'em coming. Bill, great photos. I especially like the A.s. 'Microphyllum' It's color is fantastic and the leaves look absolutely pristine. How do you have it sited? Grancru, your 'Crimson Queen' is a knockout and I like the 3 season color combo of the 'Viridis' and the red dissectums. Very nice photos. Thanks, Dan

Thanks

The microphyllum was basically in high shade with maybe a couple of hours of direct midday sun. Last year it had virtually no color but was in a shadier spot so I moved it for a little more sun. Next year I'll plant it in the ground. I think most Shirasawanums need more sun than people want to give them. Yours are always very nice in the fall. I'm gonna move my Aureum next year also to get more sun. This year was its first and I wanted it close to the house for watering.

Bill

Bill, looks like you have it in a good spot.

Here are a few more of mine.

A.p. 'Beni shichihenge'

A.p. 'Shadiva Gold' and A.p. 'Shaina' (purchased early this Spring as #1's, did really well this year despite leafing out in garage under metal halide lighting.)

Acer circinatum 'Sunglow'

Another A.s. 'Autumn Moon' (at least that's how it was marked when I got it) and A.p 'Beni Otake'

A.p. 'Sekka yatsubusa' (I've found this to be a really tough semi-dwarf, southern exposure with no burn, I like it more and more each year)

and... a repeat from the conifer forum. (Definately have some plants to move next year, and the reason I've been buying dwarf maples recently) Lower right A.s. 'Aureum', middle right A.s 'Autumn Moon', middle left A.p. 'Fireglow' (will get moved next year, not quite sure what I was thinkin' with the red and the blue)

{{gwi:63874}}

Dan

That cercinatum is pretty cool. I saw that in your first pics of the Autumn Moon and liked the semi rounded leaf shape. Your neighbors must love their views of your yard.

Flowerfan - love that Coral Bark seedling. Looks great and makes me want to try a seedling of that also. I know the grafted Coral Barks don't do well here, but I would be willing to try a seedling to see if that helps. Did you get that from a place that also does mail order?

Bill

Hi Bill, no I raised it myself from seed. I have been growing JM from seed for 4 years and have had a lot of beautiful seedlings. It has been a lot of fun seeing all the different variations. I have lots of extra coral bark seedlings. Send me an e-mail next spring and we can trade. Here are a few more of my seedlings plus a Yorky terrier. Karen

Wow beautiful plants and nice photography!

Karen nice selections on your seedlings. How many do you start out with to end up with a few beauties? Do you use the stratification technique described in Vertrees?

Here is a link that might be useful: Fall color

Im not a fan of maples Per se, but I do have a picture of one that I think is pretty good for this area. We cant grow Japanese maples here.

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Hi Herman, yes I use the stratification techniqes in Vertrees. Germination is so variable. I probably only average about 10-15%. I keep the ones I like and give the rest away. Karen

Am jeolous... at yall northerners.
NamNhi

Karen, all your seedlings are really impressive looking! I'm out of fall pictures, so here's the reverse angle of my little 'Shaina' and 'Shadiva Gold' from this summer. Dan

I guess it evens out... the early Spring freeze was a disaster for most Japanese maples, October was lousy, but November was really spectacular this year for most late dropping Maples. My 'Aureum' even had many reddish leaves, with the leaves on new branches really bright red. Many Paperbark Maples in the area were even pink-red. Sugar Maples were a warm golden glow the last week.