Japanese Maple ‘Tamukeyama’
The Japanese Maple ‘Tamukeyama’ is my personal favorite of all the Japanese Maples. It is a thread-leaf Japanese Maple that holds up well with our Texas heat and humidity. (Thread-leaf as it has ferny finger like divisions /lobes of the leaf). It has a weeping mounding form which makes it stand out as a beautiful accent or specimen in your garden.
Have you selected a spot or trying to decide where to plant one? If you are planning a Japanese garden, there are lots of plants that pair well with these specimen trees. The Plum Yew for one look beautiful, planted underneath the Maples. The colors of the Japanese Maples contrast nicely with the dark green foliage of the Yews. The Plum Yew, Cephalotaxus, are a low growing evergreen shrub that have branching limbs with thin deep green leaves.
Keep in mind when planning where to plant or place your Maple a few general things. Sun, soil and water. In general, here in Texas, the Japanese Maples are going to want either filtered sun or early morning sun and afternoon shade. The ‘Tamukeyama’ as well as all the Japanese Maples need quality landscape soil. These are not trees you are going to want to dig a hole, stick it in the ground and walk off. If you are not able to amend the soil, an alternative is to plant them in a container.
Japanese Maple ‘Emperor One’
The ‘Emperor One’ Japanese Maple is another spectacular tree for your shade garden or landscape. If you want a larger more upright tree as opposed to the weeping habit of the ‘Tamukeyama’, this is a great option. The ‘Emperor One’ has colorful burgundy foliage and reaches heights of up to 12-15 feet.
Ligularia
The Ligularia is another popular choice planted alongside the Japanese Maples. The Ligularia are evergreen and have large round leaves with bloom yellow daisy like flowers.
If you are creating a Japanese garden or if you simply want to add the Japanese Maple to your landscape as an accent plant, try uplighting it! Landscape lighting is a wonderful way to spotlight your specimen.
We have a YouTube video on the Japanese Maples where we go around Austin and feature some in the landscapes and planted on the city street.
