Here are a couple of Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' that I grafted in the summer of 2002. The pictures were made in early June 2003. This seedling of Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' is said to be more heat tolerent than the mother plant.
Tell me more I live in the US South and would like to grow A. shirasawanum. Can you tell me more about the heat tolerance of this variety?
This tree is about 4 years old and grown in moderate/heavy shade. The nice orange/red hues of spring will quickly wash to green in this much shade. If grown in some sun, the orange overtones can persist. The yellow mature leaves are from september of 2004, while all other photos are within 1 week after leafing out the second week of April 2005.
A second year tree for me. One of the two I didn't have in the ground, so it missed the big freeze. Photo from 4/26/07 Keith
Hi all, I received an Autumn Moon today. It is a one year graft from Worldplants. Long, straight stick with a few leaves at the end. But they are very, very pretty and the buds look healthy. I'll post some pictures in a couple of days, when it settles in. looks like a real winner and I love it already! David
Beautiful pictures Nelran! I love the spring (and summer) coloring and cannot wait for my 1 year twig to mature a little bit. Right now it has 6 leaves but is around 18 inches tall (the first flush burned up while at the nursery, I think) and a small, newer flush was the only growth on the plant when I got it in...but it'll look great next year, which will be when I'll post some pictures (right now, I don't think that it deserves to be pictured...) :) David
Well, David, I can't say the same for "summer color" (in this area the poor little acer is completely fryed/wilted, even if I kept with plenty of water, full shade, baby it, etc. Simply the 24hr. heat during more that two months. It seems that southern zones and JMs are not a good match. Fortunately I learned that this will happen every year, but these beauties will get back with full splendor just in time for winter. I have two 'Autumn moon' (and a third, bigger, is coming soon). They are in 2 & 3 gal pots. I know that this cultivars are a little bit 'tricky' to grow here, but anyway I will do my best effort, because the shirasawanums are my favorites. (Altought not the best performers of course!). I hope that in some years I will enjoy their full splendor. Surely your tiny Autumn moon will please you (and us) the next year. I realized the shirasawanums are slower growers than the palmatums, so keep caring them. regards Nelson
New pics of Autumn Color. Everyday this little plant shock me, as seems it says "hey I'm here, take me some pictures" so I did....
It was a long time waiting for this cultivar to leaf out. It's one of my "Must Have" Cultivars. I confess that I'm weak about A.S. 'Aureum' and 'Autumn Moon' (as you realize is in my avatar, after all) but it was painful to grow them here in Zone 8. After some time with me its look like one of them is starting to really show its full beauty. First pics of this Spring season with leaves still not fully mature... but I will update!
Hey Sasquatch, nice leaves. Maybe I'm wrong, but for the color it looks like an A. S. Full Moon, instead of the Autumn Moon (Anyway your specimen is espendid!) Perhaps the coloration is direct related with sun exposure. Do you have it in full shade? Nelran
Yeah, my Autumn Moon is in deep shade, and did not show much red. I plan on moving into a sunnier spot this year to see how it does.
My Autumn Moon was in barely filtered light and I thought maybe I'd bought an Aureum (either mislabeled or I misremembered). I shifted it to a moderately more sunny location and the side of the tree that got the most sun gave me more correct characteristics. I've moved it again to a location with theoretically a little more sun and am anxiously awaiting its opening. Edit: added two photos. Photo #1 taken today (4/17/10), #2 about 7-10 days ago
one of my faves, i have three and each complement the area they are in, seems to hold color better than my moonrise.
I have found expression to vary considerably related to sun/shade exposure. In part shade/sun, it was lime green. Now, it is in direct midday and some afternoon sun. It breaks out yellow and the parts of the tree that get the most sun have the orange shading of which I had read. I'm really happy now that I've found the right spot for this tree.
Looking at the colours of the leaves on the one I bought last summer (in full leaves, green), I wonder why they didn't call it 'Spring Blaze'... ;°)
Here are some pictures of my 5' Autumn Moon. I believe this is out 4th year with this tree. Spring color is always dependable and the second flush of growth in Summer contrasts the yellow mature leaves nicely. Ours takes the full spectrum of morning thru mid-afternoon sun. The house generally protects it from late afternoon sun through most of the growing season. The first year with the tree it was in full sun and in a pot. It showed little signs of stress, but is pretty much bullet proof now that it's in the current location and in the ground. The tree never has any winter die back, and during the growing season it is the last to show any heat or drought stress. Many other maples in the collection shows signs of problems well before Autumn Moon, so it usually gets watered well before any problems start. Since in the ground it goes through summer with no signs of stress. The leaf shape and color gets much attention during the growing season. It does not put on much of a show for fall and in winter it's not much to look at either. But what it lacks in fall and winter, it more than makes up for it in Spring and summer. It seems the sun makes for the best show with longer lasting colors and a nice yellow mature foliage vs. a greener shade of color when in too much shade. The first is a picture of it's usual spring color. The second photo shows a weaker performance this spring. Not sure if it was from a weird wet and mild winter, but the colors were not as strong this year (first time ever). All the other years have been just like the first photo. But even at it's worse, I think it is still a very beautiful show of spring color.