Japanese Bonsai Trees Keep Winter Fruitful
Our winter landscapes need not be dull in winter, as in our Zone 7 we can grow many kinds of plants with winter interest, the broadleaf and coniferous evergreens, ornamental grasses, and berried trees and shrubs. You are no doubt familiar with red and green Japanese maple trees with their foliage, texture and popular ornamental qualities.
However, the coral bark Japanese maple is less known than the other Japanese maples.
In Japanese, it’s known as “coral tower” or “coral pillar,” referring to the upward reaching branches as from a coral reef. The coral bark maple differs from the other Japanese maples in several ways. Most important is the rich coral color of the branches and twigs that are 2 years old or younger. They show their brilliant color after their leaf drop and for the autumn and winter. The color is so pronounced that it is almost fluorescent, as the photo of these trees at Southwood Nursery shows.
As the branches and twigs mature and increase in size, they lose the rich coral color and fade to brown, but the continued new growth is green in summer and coral in winter.
The leaves have five to seven lobes with serrate margins and average 2 inches long to 2 1/2 inches wide. The new foliage is yellow-green with plum to red edging and almost ferny in texture. The foliage matures to a light green for the summer, but in autumn the coral bark maple puts on another surprising difference from the other Japanese maples. Its autumn foliage is golden-yellow with a pinkish blush at the edges.
Then in April or May, the tree has small red flowers that become winged samaras (small plant helicopter blades), which reach full size in summer and then wing their way to the ground in late winter. The coral bark Japanese maple grows upward in a vase form to about 15 to 20 feet tall and as wide at maturity with many twiggy branchlets and stems.
Plant the coral bark maple in a well-drained soil and sheltered from drying winds. An exposure with morning sun is best and with shade from the hot afternoon sun. Stake the tree after planting to stabilize it until the roots provide good anchoring. And be sure to wrap the trunk from the ground up to the first branches with a tree wrap for the first two seasons to prevent winter sun scald injury. Add a good 2-to-4-inch mulch around the tree, and water at least weekly during the first year after planting.
In the landscape, the coral bark Japanese maple is an excellent small specimen tree, a tree for a foundation planting for a large building, for a large container plant, or for a Bonsai plant.
The coral colored stems contrast beautifully against snow, the sky, grass or an evergreen background. The coral bark Japanese maple is one tree that is certain to brighten any landscape for the fall and winter.
For more information on bonsai trees and bonsai tree care kit at bonsaitreegardener.net and other authoritative bonsai tree sites.
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