Buchholz Plant Introductions (Part 13)

The parade of Buchholz plant introductions continues with an eclectic group of maples, some – actually most – that turned out to be plain-Janes that never garnered a following and have been discontinued.

The original Acer palmatum 'Spring Delight'

Acer palmatum 'Spring Delight' in winter

Acer palmatum 'Spring Delight' in spring

But first let's begin with a few of the successes: Acer palmatums 'Spring Delight', 'Tiger Rose' and 'Yellow Threads', as I have sold over a thousand of each, and other companies are now producing them also. I know that all three can be found in European specialty nurseries, and perhaps in Japan as well. 'Spring Delight' is the oldest, having been introduced in about 1998, but its origin is shrouded in mystery. It was certainly discovered at Buchholz Nursery as a seedling, and most likely an offspring from a named cultivar, but I can zero recollect the parent, or even when I was first impressed enough to decide to propagate. It's like it just suddenly appeared, which is odd since I now rate it as the best green weeping laceleaf available. Hmm – maybe second best after 'Emerald Lace', a Del Loukes introduction, but still I'm partial to 'Spring Delight', and I see the original seedling daily from outside the office window. In a way 'Spring Delight' reminds me of A.p. 'Tsuma gaki' in that the early spring foliage begins a light yellow-green with a crimson edge to each leaf lobe. In summer the foliage evolves to a fresh, deep green, and in autumn it turns to bold orange. Even when bare of leaves, the exposed branching pattern of winter is most ornamental. The old standby for a green laceleaf weeper was A.p. 'Viridis' which has been long-cultivated around the world, but 'Spring Delight' is a vast improvement in my opinion. Vertrees/Gregory in Japanese Maples mention it as “A chance seedling with 'Viridis' a possible parent...” That, I know, is not correct, as I have never sowed seed ever from 'Viridis', but I occasionally discover green laceleafs from some of the most unlikely parents, such as mother trees from the “Ghost Series.”

Acer palmatum 'Tiger Rose'

Acer palmatum 'Tiger Rose'

Acer palmatum 'Tiger Rose' was discovered as a variegated seedling from the parent tree of A.p. 'Azuma murasaki'. The late Dr. Bump of Forest Grove, Oregon – my family's doctor when I was young – had a worthwhile hobby of germinating seed from his large collection of maple cultivars, and for some reason the offspring from the very different 'Azuma murasaki' was found to mother a most varied group.

Acer palmatum 'Tiger Rose'

Acer palmatum 'Tiger Rose'

I don't know what became of 'Tiger Rose's' sister seedlings, but a lot of them were colorfully interesting. Dr. Bump chose the 'Tiger Rose' name of one because the reticulated leaves looked tiger-like, he explained, and the “Rose” part of the name was in honor of his wife, Rosemary. Vertrees/Gregory claim that the cultivar “has cascading shoots and a semi-pendulous habit similar to A.p. 'Omurayama',” and that it “forms an upright, rounded mound up to 3m (10 ft) tall and about 1.5m (5 ft) wide.” Of course it doesn't matter the size and shape of the original tree, which I haven't seen in a number of years (when it was less than half the size of my earliest propagule), for the latter must be considered the prototype. My tree was planted next to the house at Flora Farm, and in hindsight sited way too close to the roof gutters and the bedroom window. The 23-year-old specimen is now (2023) about 15' tall and 20' wide and displays none of the “semi-pendulous” or “mounding” that the literature suggests. It is probably the largest 'Tiger Rose' in existence, but I fear for its future since the new owners of Flora Farm intend to transform the house into a research facility, and I've already witnessed how knucklehead contractors mindlessly disregard the sanctity of rare trees.

The original Acer palmatum 'Yellow Threads'

Acer palmatum 'Yellow Threads'

Acer palmatum 'Yellow Threads' is a fun, newer introduction (germinated in about 2005) that originated, not surprisingly, from the parent tree of A.p. 'Koto no ito'. It prospers in full sun in Oregon where new, spring growth emerges a light yellow-green, but when the summer heat arrives the narrow lobes transform to a bright white-yellow, hence the cultivar name. When grown in containers in the relative shade of our white poly greenhouses, the foliage remains yellow-green and belies the cultivar name. In autumn the foliage fires to an orange-red, usually, but I remember one year when it turned to straw-yellow.

Acer palmatum 'Green Fingers'

Acer palmatum 'Green Fingers'

Acer palmatum 'Little Fingers'

While Acer palmatum 'Yellow Threads' is a resounding success, previous introductions of A.p. 'Little Fingers' and A.p. 'Green Fingers' are no longer in production, and in fact, no longer at the nursery at all. I don't remember the origin of 'Green Fingers' or why it fell from my favor, but I now feel remiss to not have kept at least one in the collection. The same occurred with 'Little Fingers', and somehow it's not here either, but I hope they continue in the landscapes of some maple collectors. Both were introduced in about 1998-2002, but maybe they were discontinued because my customers by far prefer the red linearlobums, and with the greens there's already a lot of established, older cultivars such as A.p. 'Koto no ito', 'Kinshi', 'Aoyagi gawa' etc. Their demise is my fault, for I let them slip away, but on the other hand I receive little or no support from my staff when it comes to managing the cultivars in the collection, and for some reason the highest paid are also the most indifferent.

Acer palmatum 'Lazy Leaf'

Acer palmatum 'Lazy Leaf' was a seedling from about 2005 that initially impressed me for the lax demeanor of its green spring leaves. Eventually, however, the leaves evolve to a more normal presentation, and by June the maple aficionado must wonder why the name. 'Lazy Leaf' disappeared from Buchholz Nursery at least a dozen years ago, and none of our customers has lamented the loss.

Acer palmatum 'Pinkie'

Acer palmatum 'Pinkie'

Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa'

All who have seen Acer palmatum 'Pinkie' in the spring must think they have died and gone to maple heaven. The sparkle of the tiny leaves is otherworldly, and suddenly every grower becomes my best friend to get ahold of it. Pinkie's origin is a fairy tale that's amazing, but most who hear about it are so mesmerized with the dainty cultivar that they seldom are able to mentally process the details. I'll explain again: we routinely harvest seed from our old specimen of Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa', which is probably the largest of its kind in the world. A good percentage of the raislings are Mikawa-like, with the same short internodes and similar green leaves, while the remainder shoot upward like a typical palmatum seedling. We market the 'Mikawa' look-alikes and they are popular with bonsai customers and with collectors looking for a unique dwarf maple.

Acer palmatum 'Pinkie'

One green 'Mikawa'-like seedling produced a witch's broom mutation when it was about five years old, and the new propagants from that mutation were named 'Pinkie'. I noticed the mutant about 10 years ago, but instead of pruning off the green host completely I have always left a small portion of the mother to nurse its wimpy mutation, and to this day I'm still afraid to cut the green totally.

Acer palmatum 'Pinkie' in summer

Acer palmatum 'Pinkie' in summer

One year I personally cut 15 scions of Acer palmatum 'Pinkie', all of them of dubious quality. Nevertheless I was very pleased that 7 of them “took.” They were potted up, together with their green rootstocks still in support, but the scion growth was always weak so I was afraid to remove the nurses completely. By September the 'Pinkie' grafts mostly defoliate but they always rejuvenate themselves the following spring. Regular readers of the Flora Wonder Blog can predict what happened next, that when cleaning rootstock from all of our one-gallon pots, someone on the crew cut all of the 7 'Pinkies' off from their green rootstocks. I stood frozen in disbelief when I discovered the tragedy a month later, but I could understand why the culprit was confused since the green mop of rootstock looked more clonally significant than the defoliated 'Pinkie' runts. The good news is that one of the 'Pinkie' grafts rebudded, and I moved that pot into a different (non-maple) greenhouse. So, along with the original 10-year-old mutation, that's all that remains of 'Pinkie'. I remember when telling the story to my wife that she literally gasped in horror. She couldn't understand why I was so calm about the situation, but I had a month to reflect that I'm the one that created a complex company with employees, and maybe they did us a favor by culling out the 'Pinkie' brush.

Acer palmatum 'Dulce'

Acer palmatum 'Dulce'

A sweet young Hispanic woman worked at Buchholz Nursery for about a decade, and her name was appropriately Dulce, Spanish for “sweet.” On her own she noticed and pulled out a variegated Acer palmatum rootstock and placed it aside from the group. I was surprised, but pleased, that the energetic, positive woman had a little fun at work, because seedling discoveries are what sustains me through the horticultural drudgery. I secretly made a label that read Acer palmatum 'Dulce' and placed it in the pot. A few days later she discovered that I was giving the new maple her name, and she beamed with modest pride.

Acer palmatum 'Dulce' reversion

Eventually Dulce left the company to devote herself to motherhood and I haven't seen her since her last day, but I heard that she was happily married and fruitfully producing her own offspring. I was left with her maple as a memory, but sadly the variegation wasn't stable (although Dulce herself was) and we only propagated a handful for one or two years. While the mother tree proved unstable, I'm not sure what happened to the few that we sold, and for all I know there might be a grower out there who has found success with it. It's always risky to name a plant for your child or for someone you like, because too often your christened cultivar proves unworthy.

Acer palmatum 'Dulce's Surprise'

I was encouraged that Dulce had at least moderately caught the maple fever, that the myriad of variations found in the Acer palmatum species could become her hobby, and why not? Acer palmatum 'Dulce's Surprise' was another findling where an A.p. 'Mikawa yatsubusa' seedling expressed itself with slight cream-white variegation in a light green leaf. The effect was subtle to be sure, and the cultivar arena already contains A.p. 'Kryptonite' which is also lightly variegated. But once again her seedling didn't prove stable, and maybe that's why she ditched her nursery career to make human babies instead.

Acer palmatum 'Emerald Isle' in spring

The original Acer palmatum 'Emerald Isle'

Acer palmatum 'Emerald Isle' in autumn

Acer palmatum 'Emerald Isle' in summer

Watch out for spring, for the plantsman is then bursting with enthusiasm after the long winter, and all plant seedlings look worthy of naming. I guess I was overcome one April, in about 2005, with a seedling of unknown parentage with fresh green foliage. It was planted with a group of seedlings from known cultivars at Flora Farm, and its new spring shoots attracted me for their light, peachy color. Soon, however, the foliage transforms to a bright green, with long, narrow lobes divided nearly to the petiole. I have never been to Ireland, though I hope to visit one day, but my maple seedling was shining in the morning sun and I thought about the “Emerald Isle” which was based on photos from TV or travel brochures. Horticulture often consists of plants that are not green, for green is sometimes considered too normal, somewhat boring. But “green” is a combination of light and chlorophyll, life itself, along with a healthy dose of optimism. But don't worry about the ubiquitous greens at Buchholz Nursery, for in autumn 'Emerald Isle' glows with a deep, wild red color. No matter what, I'll always keep a few in the collection, but I concede that it will never be as popular as many of my other introductions.

The original Acer palmatum 'Dr. Seuss'

Acer palmatum 'Dr. Seuss'

Acer palmatum 'Dr. Seuss' was a 1993 Buchholz introduction, but certainly not one of our finest. Of unknown parentage, it forms a dense, round bush with unusual, slightly variegated leaves. It can throw reverted, palmatum-like branches, and these shoots should not be propagated. I don't know, but for me the foliage seems whimsical with its small, sickle-shaped leaves, hence the name. If I was to compare it to any other cultivar it would be Acer palmatum 'Ao kanzashi', but neither that or 'Dr. Seuss' are currently in production. Both are attractive, small trees worthy of introduction, but any grower with a career evaluating and producing Japanese maples has probably found something similar.

Acer japonicum 'Orange Fan' in shade

Acer japonicum 'Orange Fan' in autumn'

Acer japonicum 'Orange Fan' in spring

Acer japonicum 'Orange Fan' is noteworthy for an orange blush on otherwise green leaves. It originated as a seedling from A.j. 'Aconitifolium' in about 2007, and per the species it will form a small-to-medium size, wide-spreading tree. The round leaves terminate in lobes that are only slightly indented, as is typical of many Acer japonicums, and they transform in autumn to brilliant yellow, orange and red, and often all three colors are evident at the same time. 'Orange Fan' has a following with some of my customers, but I admit it is not one of my favorite of Buchholz introductions because the orange color will disappear when grown in shade, and even in full sun as the season progresses. I think I should have waited before I sold any to evaluate further, but as so often happens, visitors and customers expressed enthusiasm when they saw it in (modest) production, and I'm the nice guy who is always trying to please. Also, I'm the capitalist who is constantly struggling to keep the nursery afloat.

Acer japonicum 'Giant Moon'

Acer japonicum 'Giant Moont'

Acer japonicum 'Giant Moon' in autumn

Acer japonicum 'Aki hi'

Acer japonicum 'Yama kage'

In my opinion Acer japonicum 'Giant Moon' is a more worthy introduction than A.j. 'Orange Fan'; and it also originated as a seedling from A.j. 'Aconitifolium', but earlier in about 2003. Its claim to fame is that it produces extraordinarily large leaves which begin with light-peach color then turn to a solid green. In autumn you better keep your camera charged to capture the festival of colors – yellow, orange, red to deep purple. At the time that I named and introduced 'Giant Moon' I was unaware that Oregon's famous Don Schmidt Nursery had also introduced an Acer japonicum with large leaves, 'Yama kage'. The late Jim Schmidt called it 'Yama kagi' when he named it, supposedly the name supplied by a Japanese restaurant owner. My wife Haruko said that name didn't make sense when I asked for the meaning, because the name translates to “mountain key” like a car key. Haruko said the name was probably 'Yama kage' which means “mountain shadow,” so something was lost in translation. The other Acer japonicum cultivar with extra large leaves is 'Aka hi' which I've never grown, but saw in The Netherlands at Vergeldt Nursery. Haruko can only guess at the meaning of 'Aka hi' unless she can see the Japanese characters, but she supposes it translates to “red sun.”

Acer palmatum 'Hitode'

Acer palmatum 'Peve Starfish'

Acer palmatum 'Hitode' is a slow-growing little tree with nine bronze-green lobes to the leaves, and it was of seedling origin which we introduced in about 2005. I suspect that it has some Acer shirasawanum blood in it, but since the seed hangs down I labeled it as Acer palmatum. The rolled lobes reminded me of a starfish, hence the Japanese name 'Hitode'. At a later date I was visiting the Vergeldt Nursery in The Netherlands, and the owner showed me an unnamed seedling selection with purple-red foliage, and it too featured downward-curved leaf-lobes. I was very impressed with it and I casually commented that the leaves looked like a starfish. Mr. Vergeldt merely smiled, but then he didn't speak English and his son Job had to translate everything for him. After about five years I was at Vergeldt Nursery again, and I discovered that he had named his maple selection 'Starfish' or 'Peve Starfish', as all of his introductions, whether conifers, maples or dogwoods, begin with “Peve.” I was a little surprised that he chose the 'Starfish' name, and I informed him that there was already a green cultivar named 'Hitode', or “starfish,” and it might lead to some confusion. Mr. Vergeldt looked somewhat perplexed and reminded me that I was the one who chose the name, but I had completely forgotten about my previous description of his selection. Of course I felt foolish about my memory lapse; so while I remember millions of things I apparently forget billions.

The Buchholz crew on lunch break

Horticulture is a haphazard world when nurserymen are allowed to name their introductions.