I did see some aphids on my maples this spring, but today I observed that pest control is doing its job.
It looks like an Asian ladybird - or ladybug if you prefer... ;-) Here, the local species is red and has fewer black dots. The Asian ladybird arrived in Europe in the 1980s as a substitute to pesticide, and is becoming invasive. It produces a kind of poison to keep the local species at bay. The most common local species, Coccinella septempunctata :
Yes…. and the same is true here. They still take care of the aphids though. I never spray with insecticide. I think it is just wrong…
My first seedling. Noticed it growing among some pots I have stored behind my garage. The area is gravel mixed with dirt. I tried to keep the root ball together but the gravel made this very difficult. Watered it with superthrive and put it full shade. Hopefully it will live.
Good luck @GardenCycles you never know exactly what you will get with seedlings, perhaps something new!!? That's always exciting. I have found that if from Acer palmatum red or green parentage, then the seedling runs true and strong. You should know in around 2 years in my experience if it will survive. Yours looks happy in its pot, so fingers crossed.
Torrential rain overnight here, but now some sunshine on this relaxing Sunday afternoon. Some more of mine not posted yet. Some late to leaf out, so put them on, as it was discussed on another thread this weekend and to show that they all don't leaf out together. Komon nishiki x2 Elmwood x 2 Burgundy Jewel x 2 Kamagata x2 ( still very young) Kasagiyama x2 (very slow to leaf out in 2024) Coonara Pygmy x2 Flavesecens x2 Yasemin x2 Azuma Murasaki x2
Hadn't actually noticed that my Koto No Ito had flowered so I was super pleased to see these this afternoon.
Going along with the green theme, here are a few more of my maples in some sunshine today. The greens don't normally get a look in until Autumn on the forum, so I thought : Why not post some photos....they deserve a mention IMO. Acer Rufinerve x 2 (Snake bark maple) Ogi tsuma gaki x 2 Trident Acer buergerianum Acer tataricum subs.ginnala 'Flame' Akegarasu x2 Ruby Ridge x2 Kashima x2
The jungle I can see from the kitchen : In the first photo, in the middle, at the bottom, the orange thing is this seedling from 2023 - or 2022 ?
After a cold, rainy and windy spring my maples have suffered a bit but still light up the garden. Most are about 5 years in the ground and becoming trees already going 2 meters and up. Hopefully still room to grow before pruning is needed. Others have unfortunately suffered from some soil fungal disease, probably root rot, and have died back quit a bit. pictures of Filigree, Indian summer, Kamagata, Corallinum, Shishigashira, Pixie and Sensu.
Others, this afternoon : Two 'Gwen's Rose Delight" : Deshojo : Acer I called "Shirpal" because its leaves are more like a shirasawanum, but almost as small as palmatum. From seed : ... and this one that was from seeds of a "dissectum" I collected in a street of Saran (45770) years ago. Nothing spectacular, except that most the central lobes of the leaves are turning to one side.
A sunny morning here in Southern England and the temperatures are rising. Forecast 17°c this afternoon. So few more from my garden I haven't posted yet. Fujinami nishiki x2 Beni hoshi x2 Oridono nishiki x2 Baldsmith x2 Emperor 1 x 2 (now in a bonsai training pot) Red Pygmy x2 Going Green (air layered 2023 doing well)
It's pretty sunny here too, so I went and took a few pictures: Beni Tsukasa, Amagi Shigure and Ukigumo: Nakai: Shirasawanum Aureum: Amber Ghost, still sporting a beautiful colour, both in the sun and in the shade: Golden Falls, very pale yellow with peachy tips: Celebration:
My oldest JM (Garnet) it’s about 22 years old, literally no dieback over the years happy in a 27 inxh cube
One of the best of the red dissectums, keeps good color even in shade. I sold mine last year, in a 15 liter and due to be planted over winter. I'm sort of regretting it now, and will have to raise another, but someone from the village really coveted it, so... I kept, and planted, 'Garnet Tower', another of these "upright red dissectums" that probably isn't. So far it looks just like Garnet. Here are some more from the garden over the last days. The unlabeled picture is A. micranthum 'Candelabrum' on right, over to the corner with 'Cold Coin', 'Nizetii', 'Saoshika' and the Wedding Cake tree, which lost pretty much all the long lateral tiers during the drought of 22. Here's an "Acer Buddy" that I like a lot, though it gets unhappy in the dry. Berberis thunbergii 'Diabolicum' (maybe now renamed, as the name is illegitimate) from Hennebelle. Stays very compact, and really adds some flair. That's Red Flamingo draping over it.
And the rest of the catch-up off the phone. Drippy day out there, so good time for this. I can't decide if the first picture is Tana or not, the leaf shape seems wrong, but I guess I'll wait until it matures during the year before passing judgment. 'Rogov' is the "cultivar" of A. sinense, Derek, @Acerholic you see the dark leaves. The Golden Selection is one of my Intermarché cappadocicum series, I actually planted the wrong one -- meant to be a v. rubrum! -- but too late now. Read the d*mn labels before planting! -E
Great pictures and beautiful specimens Julie_k. I love your Golden Falls. Never heard of that one. Is it a strong grower?
