HYPERBOREA / My Japanese Maple

**Posted by Blackadder23** 6/05/2015 11:43 am

Between work work and yard work, I haven't gotten any gaming done so far this year. Work work is too deadly dull to discuss, but I thought I'd share one of the fruits of my yard work: the Japanese maple in my front yard. It was just a stick when I planted it in 2010, and last year it finally got large enough for the full bonsai treatment. I took a chance pruning it when it didn't have any leaves, but I think my guesstimates turned out okay (it may still need thinned a bit). Anyway, enjoy!

That bare spot under the tree is a fantastic place to sit and read - cool as a cucumber even on 90-degree days.

Last edited by Blackadder23 (6/05/2015 11:45 am)

**Posted by joseph** 6/06/2015 9:54 pm

I've been thinking about getting a Japanese maple to grow as a potted bonsai... but I'm terrible with plants. Yours looks great BA23, you must have the green thumb!

**Posted by Blackadder23** 6/06/2015 11:05 pm

Thanks! I take the blame for the rest of the landscaping as well.
This is a "Crimson Queen" if you're looking into the different varieties of Japanese maples; note that I savagely pruned it below the three foot mark to make it look more tree-like. The only issue with it is it gets a lot of sun in the front yard, so the leaves actually turn green in July and August (you can see that happening now). In the spring and fall it's a beautiful blood red.
Anyway, you would probably want a dwarf maple for a potted plant. This one is ten or eleven feet tall.

EDIT: This is actually a "Bloodgood" variety. I didn't get a "Crimson Queen" because it was weeping, and I wanted an upright tree.

Last edited by Blackadder23 (11/16/2015 2:06 pm)

**Posted by Ghul** 6/09/2015 9:07 pm

That's actually pretty amazing that you got the Japanese maple to thrive like that. That looks like it's maturing at a fast rate.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 6/10/2015 3:28 pm

Thank you! Hopefully it's approaching full size - there's a power line a couple feet above it, and pruning the top of a tree properly is a pain in the butt.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 11/16/2015 2:03 pm

Here it is today, just on the cusp of losing its leaves for the year. The fern garden underneath it has already been wilted by the cold. I had to prune it quite a bit this summer because it was interfering with foot traffic.

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 11/16/2015 2:38 pm

Ha! This is great. I swear, I was just looking at some black locusts in the setting sun out of my office window and wondering how Blackadder23's Japanese maple was looking for the fall.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 11/16/2015 2:58 pm

Damn that's a big japanese maple, especially for being 5-ish years old.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 11/17/2015 10:43 am

Handy Haversack wrote:
Ha! This is great. I swear, I was just looking at some black locusts in the setting sun out of my office window and wondering how Blackadder23's Japanese maple was looking for the fall.

Glad to be of service.
I don't drink, smoke, or eat meat, so I have to find something to talk about in the off-topic area.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 11/17/2015 11:16 am

Great tree, man.

Come see me sometime about picking up bad habits, heh.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 11/18/2015 10:08 pm

I have bad habits - just not those.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 11/18/2016 2:24 pm

Here is this fall's update on my Japanese maple, which I know Handy in particular has been anxiously awaiting.

It didn't need any pruning this year, which is good because I herniated a disc in my back in September.

Last edited by Blackadder23 (11/18/2016 2:25 pm)

**Posted by Ghul** 11/19/2016 7:31 pm

Nice! Love it. Just make sure in the spring you prune it before the town comes by and butchers it, because it's getting close to the lines.