Replace your tree with an Emperor I or Robinson's Red - both of which are supposed to leaf out more slowly in spring, thereby escaping late season frosts.

It is an Emperor I, and it had fully leaved out before May 1.

And I have a Robinson's Red and it is in full-leaf already, too.
Mike

Very interesting. After all these years I finally have a reason to be thankful for the cold spring breezes off lake Michigan each night. None of my Emperor I's have broken bud and my Robinson Reds are just beginning to unfurl their first leaves as are shirasawanum and triflorum! Mandshuricum and tegmentosum the farthest along. Truncatum's buds are pretty tight and Girard's Hybrid paperbark are still really tight.

NEWgars,

Where did you buy your Acer mandschuricum?

Mike: What kind of covering did you do? Did you have any damage?

I also lost a lot of bulbs this winter and last, the kind like red emperor tulips and carlton daffodils that I thought were rock-solid hardy. also lost a small yew.

Basic - I believe Mandshuricum came from ForestFarm- 1 gal. for $15.

Tom,
I just put a cylinder of 4' chicken wire, covered with burlap, around the tree in the fall. I don't put anything inside the cylinder. My tree does just fine and it's in THE most exposed spot in my back yard.

I planted the tree in the summer of 2003 and I think the tree may be well enough established now to go through the winter without the chicken wire and burlap. (I am a little chicken to try it, however).
Mike

Mike:

I meant what kind of covering did you provide for the late spring frosts, assuming that you took off the winter covering long ago.

My tree was also planted in 2003 at 4' tall. I bought it in Green Bay where they have a larger selection of jap maples at better prices. The first year I covered it for 2 days in january when it was -24F with a blanket, but this year it was equally cold but too big to cover so I didn't and it did just fine with no damage at all. Until May that is!

Tom,
OK, stupid me! I just put the chicken wire and burlap around the tree again and put more burlap over the top of the tree. During the day I removed the burlap from the top of the tree, but left the cylinder in place, just in case...this spring started out so good and has just gone down hill from there! (:o) I hope we are now out-of-the-woods so-to-speak.
Mike

I just bought a Bloodgood today, Japanese Maple. I am putting it in a large container on my deck which faces the east (morning sun, partial shade). I live in Moorhead Minnesota which is on the western border of MN next to Fargo ND and it gets to about 30 below in the Winter. Anyway, they told me to put it in the garage for the winter. Does it need light in the garage? Should I wrap it up in the garage? It is about six feet high I think. I really am not sure how you do that chicken wire thing. DO they make chicken wire that tall? Also I am not sure how tall this tree gets, but if it gets real tall it sounds like it will be hard to move. Can it live outside if it is planted in the ground?

It doesn't need light while it is in the garage. If the garage doesn't get too cold, it shouldn't need to be wrapped. How cold it too cold? I am not sure.

If planted outside, likely it will be severely damaged or outright killed eventually in your area without some good winter protection.

I've just planted a young Inaba Shidare maple tree. I bought it from Sooner Plant Nusery and they listed as cold hardy in zone 4. Has anyone had experience with this variety in zone 4? Molly