Hearnies Garden: My First Japanese Maple- Sango Kaku

I couldn't love any tree more than the Japanese maple. I have been successfully growing one grand looking Sango Kaku in a smallish pot for over a year. It has absolutely flourished. Almost doubled in size in a year. I'm very proud of this as I was sure I'd kill it! It's so beautiful & it made me nervous to own it but nope, I am doing great. It's full name is acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' syn. Senkaki

I remember researching about growing Japanese maples in pots & I'd read over & over that you shouldn't pot them in too big of a pot. Well, when I was buying a smallish pot & the lady at the nursery said "You're going to kill that tree!!!" I stayed strong & bought it anyway & so far so good.

Here's my baby maple when I first received it. It was a surprise birthday present from my son & husband, so it's extra special.

Here it is in it's first autumn. Little helper was just walking then.

And here it is dormant in winter.

I adore this time. The leaves drop off, the skies are black & grey. The maple is just a bunch of red sticks & twigs. It looks completely dead. Devoid of any signs of life. A shadow of the beautiful tree it was before....

......and then the weather begins to warm, the sun begins to shine & the first flush of spring appears & the maple starts to come to life.

The tiny dormant buds start to shoot out little whispers of the lush green maple leaves that are to come. Then eventually, they all burst open & it is by far my favourite time of the year. The perfect, unblemished, bright green flush of newly born maple leaves. I can NOT stop looking at it when it looks like this.