Buchholz Plant Introductions (Part 16)

 The MrMaple company from North Carolina has a strong internet presence, and recently they produced a Youtube video of the top 50 Buchholz maple introductions.* I was surprised that there could be a top 50 as I guessed that I only introduced 25-30 new maples, but not possibly 50 or more. I've been asked a number of times about how many maples are Buchholz introductions, and my answer is always “too many.” Anyway, the MrMaple countdown was fun for me, to see how another company rated my plants, but I don't necessarily agree with their subjective assessments.

*See the link at the end of the blog.

Acer palmatum 'Fairy Hair'

Acer palmatum 'Fairy Hair'

Acer palmatum 'Fairy Hair'

Acer palmatum 'Japanese Princess'

I supposed that Acer palmatum 'Fairy Hair' would probably rank in their top 10, but it didn't even make the top 50, and the reason was explained: “it doesn't grow well for us; they struggle and die.” Well, ok then, a sound reason to exclude it...even though I never experience problems. After numbers 5,4,3,2 – good choices – I was surprised that Acer palmatum 'Japanese Princess' was rated their #1 since I would place it somewhere between #15-to-25.

Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa'

Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa'

Acer palmatum 'Japanese Princess'

Acer palmatum 'Japanese Princess'

Our oldest Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa' is considered the largest of that cultivar in the world by visitors from Japan, Europe and America. I don't know if that's true, but it sounds nice so I repeat it too. The fun part is that the seed is fertile and it reliably germinates when many other cultivars do not. In September we potted up about 3,000 seedlings that were Mikawa-like, which was about half of them. The other seedlings arose as normal palmatums, so those were separated to be used as rootstock for next summer's grafting. The Mikawa look-alikes feature the short internodes and overlapping green leaves like the mother tree, while one was selected for pinkish-red spring foliage and that individual was christened 'Japanese Princess'. Since its introduction in about 2007 we have produced and sold nearly 5,000 plants, so from that perspective I can see why MrMaple ranks it as number one. My complaint with it is that it is more slow than the mother tree, and also it is subject to spring frosts since it leafs out earlier than most cultivars. I have seen nice 'Japanese Princess' in landscapes from Oregon to the East Coast, but I don't suppose it would fare well in America's Midwest. It is an ideal container plant, though, and it thrives in our white-poly greenhouses.

Acer palmatum 'Mayday'

Acer palmatum 'Mayday'

From the same champion tree of Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa', another germinant was selected for blonde foliage, and that was named 'Mayday'. It is a delightful dwarf also, but with the same problems as 'Japanese Princess'. Other growers are raising seedling 'Mikawa' as well, one of which ('Kryptonite') features subtle variegation. A few of our 3,000-or-so selectants are also multi-colored, and the new owners of Buchholz Nursery (MrMaple) are excited about the prospects of new cultivars. At twice their age I'm definitely more jaded, and I doubt that anything new and wonderful will materialize. While I don't host “expectations,” I've experienced that wonderful things occur anyway, especially when one is not overly hopeful. How about a blood-red 'Mikawa', or one that features weeping branches?

Acer palmatum 'Green Gem'

Acer palmatum 'Green Gem'

Acer palmatum 'Green Gem' is a weeping laceleaf that originated from one of the “Ghosts,” but I don't recall which was the mother tree. I thought it unique for bright pinkish new growth in spring, and it often repeats that event with a late summer push. I realize it will never be anyone's favorite because for most of the season it is just a solid green, and I judge A.p. 'Spring Delight' (see Buchholz Plant Introductions, Part 13) to be superior. 'Green Gem' turns to brilliant red in autumn, however, and I find the cultivar to be strong and durable, and it adapts well in full sun in Oregon's hot summers. That said, I would rate it as one of the “too many” introductions from Buchholz Nursery, but it has been in the marketplace since about 2015.

Acer palmatum 'Red Wood'

I introduced Acer palmatum 'Red Wood' in about 2000. It was a seedling gifted to me “to try” from the late Edsal Wood of Oregon, selected shortly before he passed away. I never knew the seedling parent but I always assumed it was from A.p. 'Sango kaku', and really there doesn't seem to be much of a difference between the two. I came up with the 'Red Wood' name because I liked the sound of “Red Wood from Ed Wood.” Apparently there were two trees planted in front of the entrance to the USA's National Arboretum, but I never contributed or sold to them myself. When one tree died they asked me if I had a replacement available, but I had already discontinued it by then. I never found 'Red Wood' to be better or more winter hardy than the myriad of other winter-red cultivars, but I know that some other growers and collectors still champion it.

Acer palmatum 'Little Sango'

Acer palmatum 'Little Sango'

Acer palmatum 'Aka kawa hime'

Acer palmatum 'Aka kawa hime'

Speaking of winter red-stem maples, I'm familiar with a couple of dwarves that I prefer over the old standby Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku', and that's because a dwarf tree is something you look at, not up at. I have a 48 year-old 'Sango kaku' that's a hundred feet away from my office window, and in winter the only red twigs visible are at the very top, and the main trunk and branches look like any old seedling palmatum. In other words, it is no longer a “coral tower” as the Japanese name translates. My introduction of 'Little Sango' originated as a 'Sango kaku' witch's broom, and it appears more visually colorful as it ages, much more than its parent host. 'Little Sango' was first propagated in about 2006, but at the same time I wasn't aware that there was another dwarf Sango, Acer palmatum 'Aka kawa hime' (“small red bark”) from the late Del Loucks of Oregon, and the two are very similar. I don't know which cultivar was marketed first however, or if 'Aka kawa hime' also originated as a witch's broom mutation.

Acer palmatum 'Pastel'

Acer palmatum 'Pastel'

Acer palmatum 'Pastel'

The foliage of Acer palmatum 'Pastel' is hard to describe because it always changes, but when I first named (to propagate) it I guess I was impressed with the softness of its colors. I now have images that aren’t so subtle, in fact they can be colorfully wild. I don’t know the origin of the 'Pastel' seedling, but it was likely an offspring from one in the “Ghost” series, and it was first propagated in about 2005. I also don’t know now who possesses the first 'Pastel', a history that I cannot recall, but that's a common theme with many of the Buchholz introductions. In the bustle and drama of economic survival I allowed many plant sales to go undocumented because I didn't know that I would try to account for them later. In other words, who needs to keep the original tree, or to remember its (his)story, as long as you have sufficient stock to continue propagation? I can imagine old Noah squirming when trying to explain to God why an original Arkoid had disappeared, when he couldn't remember to where or why. So, sorry Mr. G.

Acer palmatum 'Red Blush'

Acer palmatum 'Red Blush'

Acer palmatum 'Red Blush' displays fantastic orange-red foliage in spring with prominent lime-green veins. It was introduced in about 2002, but of unknown parentage. It's a shame that most customers are too busy tending to their garden-center cash registers in early spring so they miss out on 'Red Blush' in its glory. It is also too bad that the foliage appearance goes into noticeable decline in summer when the hot temperatures arrive. It looks tired by July, and usually ugly in August-September, and then it doesn't particularly redeem itself with autumn color – just a pale yellow is all I can remember. There are probably a couple of small plants still at the nursery, but I can't begin to tell you what direction to go find them. The large specimen (in the photo above) is still growing at Flora Farm – which I no longer own – and I haven't propagated any in the past couple of years. Buchholz Nursery customers do not request 'Red Blush' anyway, but hopefully it's still present in some collections, and perhaps it looks good for a better grower or in a more benign climate.

Acer palmatum 'Purple Curl'

Acer palmatum 'Purple Curl'

Acer palmatum 'Purple Curl'

Acer palmatum 'Purple Curl' is specifically identified because the mother tree was clearly an Acer palmatum, yet some growers (such as MrMaple in North Carolina) suggest that it likely has Acer shirasawanum influence, so they list it as x 'Purple Curl'. For me it is afflicted with an awkward, untidy growth habit as are many of the A. shirasawanum cultivars, and we prune the hell out of them to form a presentable tree. Anyway, 'Purple Curl' has small roundish leaves with lobe tips that curl downward. The summer foliage is a brownish-red that would only appeal to a die-hard maple collector, and combined with its gawky, sprawling form, I wonder why I keep any around at all. Ah, but in October-November the leaves turn to a brilliant cherry-red, and then 'Purple Curl' becomes a highly-regarded favorite at the nursery, and even the employees snap cell-phone photos. I'm not sure why I named the 2010 introduction for purple coloration, for it never really displays that hue, but too late now because we've already sold 400-500 grafts and a few larger specimens. I look forward to collecting seed one day, in hopes that it might mingle with a prettier cultivar, just as I did with my wife.

Acer palmatum 'Rite of Spring'

One of the purposes of this Buchholz Plant Introduction saga is to brag and celebrate our excellent achievements, but also to critique and fess up to the failures, and I readily admit that at least half of them fall into the “too many” group. One such is Acer palmatum 'Rite of Spring', an upright cultivar that is really no improvement over what has been previously introduced by others (such as A.p. 'Bloodgood'). 'Rite of Spring' arose in a seed flat, the only red maple out of a group of 70-80 green palmatums, so it was unusual for that. It was in spring and I guess I was giddy with the prospects of a new season. The red maple was set aside for further observation, except that I immediately pulled a blank white label out of my work pocket and wrote, Acer palmatum 'Rite of Spring'. Fifteen years later I conclude that I chose a great name, but that the maple itself is nothing extraordinary. Nice, but not really unique and special. You can describe it as a wonderful cultivar name in search of a wonderful plant, but ultimately the name exceeds the value of the relatively mediocre maple. I wish I could reverse time, when I probably should have stayed at home that day.

Acer palmatum 'Red Wonder'

Acer palmatum 'Red Wonder' is another introduction that originated as a random seedling of unknown parentage in about 1998. It occurred long before we had a website, and since I never liked the idea of outside-of-the-company sales reps, there was no way to promote it. It resembled the well known A.p. 'Bloodgood' anyway, so there was little point in continuing with 'Red Wonder'. Another example of a great name in search of a better, or more unique tree, and one no longer in production.

Acer palmatum 'Lily L.'

Acer palmatum 'Lily L.'

Acer palmatum 'Lily L.'

I named Acer palmatum 'Lily L.' on a whim in 2019, and while it looks dazzling in the greenhouse it is as yet untested out in the garden. A chance seedling of unknown parentage, the name honors my daughter's friend, and if you knew the attractive, albeit zany girl, the name will seem appropriate. The wild coloration is most dramatic in spring as one would predict, but I've noticed that visitors can walk past the original seedling in August without pause. I imagine that if 'Lily L.' was placed in the landscape, the gardener will succeed best if it's grounded in afternoon shade in a sheltered location. Maybe it's a selection sufficiently tough to endure harsh conditions, but like the girl it was named for I suspect that 'Lily L' is fragile and needs coddling.

Acer palmatum 'Miwa'

Acer palmatum 'Miwa'

Acer palmatum 'Miwa'

I clearly have an attraction for the “Ghost-like” selections with subtle green variegation. Acer palmatum 'Miwa' was introduced about 2008 as a seedling from A.p. 'Sister Ghost', and like its mother tree it is surprisingly durable in the landscape. 'Miwa' evokes a feminine presence, at least for me, but the lady can kick up her heels in autumn with vibrant colors ranging from yellow to orange at first, then evolving to deep red and purple. I asked my Japanese wife to suggest a name, something in her language that would celebrate the maple's serene appearance. She immediately responded with 'Miwa', for mi means “beauty” and wa is the word for “peace.” I liked the “peaceful beauty” designation, but I asked Haruko why the name wouldn't be 'Wami', why place the words in the wrong order. Haruko ended my query with the comment, “that's just the way it goes.”

Acer palmatum 'Iro iro'

Acer palmatum 'Iro iro'

We sold Acer palmatum 'Iro iro' for a couple of years, but then abandoned the cultivar because the similar A.p. 'Ikandi' displayed stronger variegation. The original seedling is planted in full sun at Flora Farm, and it's a large, dense bush about 8' tall by 8' wide. Like 'Ikandi', 'Iro iro' originated as a seedling from A.p. 'Alpenweiss'. Our large mother tree of 'Alpenweiss' – maybe the largest in the world – was gifted to me in about 2000 by the late finder, Bod Baltzer of Oregon. Nearly every year a carpet of hundreds of seedlings germinate under the 35' tall, vase-shaped mother. These aspiring germinants are eliminated with herbicide as if they were mere weeds, although one year we potted up about 100 for fun. While many displayed variegation, none were an improvement over 'Iro iro'...which we had already discontinued. 'Iro iro' was named by Haruko, where “iro” equals “color.” So, the name literally means “color-color” then? Well...no, iro iro means “a variety,” as in “many kinds of color,” or “non-predictable color.”

Acer palmatum 'Marmalade'

Marmalade the cat

I'll finish today's blog with Acer palmatum 'Marmalade', a new introduction which features bright orange spring growth. There's a host of A.p. 'Katsura' types already, so it's still unknown if it will be an improvement. I haven't sold any to date, but I have given one away, so from that point of view it has been “introduced.” The recipient was Jennifer Tucker of JensFarm, Tennessee, for she recently gave a grafting presentation which included a photo of her orange cat named Marmalade. Haruko and Ms. Jen have become friends in recent years at Maple Society events, and I had no trouble jumping in between them for a photo.

Jennifer Tucker, Talon, Haruko

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Mr. Maple: Top 50 Japanese Maples by Talon Buchholz