Impulse buy

Herb · Post by **Herb** » May 04, 2007 1:02 am

Two days ago I noticed a small, red-leafed Japanese Maple at the local Garden shop - Acer Palmatum Shaina.

Like most impulse buys I thought there would be a problem finding a suitable place for it, but yesterday, after standing the pot next to two plants of different shades of green (actually one is a lot more yellow than green) I thought they & the Maple looked nice together, so I planted it there.

I gather that Shania doesn't grow much higher than maybe 6 feet & is very slow growing, so it's unlikely to overwhelm its surroundings. I also gather that it likes lots of sun, and in this spot it will be in sun most of the day until mid-afternoon.

Bert

George Nesfield · Post by **George Nesfield** » May 04, 2007 9:11 am

Hi Bert,
I had a shaina a couple of years ago but it never did any good and just died on me ,if I remember right it was very brittle.
George.

Herb · Post by **Herb** » May 04, 2007 11:19 am

George,

If this one of mine dies, it'll just be joining a line of small Maples that I've tried to grow, but that died too. Two years ago I even tried a Vine Maple, thinking that because Vine Maple is native here, it at least would survive. It didn't.

Now I suspect that they (and some Kalmias, Rhodos, & Pieris too) died because I'd been adding lots of bone meal when they were planted. I'd always had the impression that bone meal was just about the best, slow-acting fertiliser for every sort of plant. It was only recently that I learned that bone meal is quite alkaline, so I've stopped using it anywhere near anything that likes acid soil.

Bert