Progressive Maple Challenge - Japanese maple #18

[Walter Pall]

This is a Japanese maple, Acer palmatum 'Arakawa'. It is the cork bark variety. While it is not so rare, very good specimen trees are very rare. It is a weak variety, like so many garden varieties. It seems to be more susceptible to fungi than most other varieties. The branches ar very brittle. A crown that was built over decades can be ruined quickly. And the most common fault is that the cork bark is only starting above a visible graft. The lower part has the smooth bark of the normal varieties. This is accepted by many enthusiasts as they think it has to be like this ( similar ot cork bark pines) and it is affordable. The very best time for arakawa maples is two weeks around October when the foliage changes into a very strong red color.
Anyway, I have so many nice maples, so far I never had a good arakawa. I am really picky. None was good enough for me so far.
Now I got this offer. Look at the bark, the taper. See that the cork bark is obviously also on the nebari, which means the tree is sitting on its own roots.
And then look at the picture with the hands. This is unreal. The tree must be a monster. What we don't really see is the crown. Well, it will have faults.
Anyway, it will be in my garden by the beginnign of May. And I will show what happens to it over thee next year. I am very exited about this and wonder how good the tree really is. It seems to appear to good to be true. We'll see.

 

[barrosinc]

jaw dropping arakawa

 

[Paulpash]

WOW! Take away the foliage and it looks like a Black Pine ...

Are you entering a Field Maple Walter? I wonder if there are any slight changes in your approach for Palmatum, Amur, Campestre?

 

[Dan W.]

Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nip]

Are you certain that this meets the 3 inch criteria? You might need to remeasure.
Incredible tree. Always a pleasure to see your specimens and how you transform them, this one is especially impressive. Any idea on the age?

 

[Walter Pall]

WOW! Take away the foliage and it looks like a Black Pine ...

Are you entering a Field Maple Walter? I wonder if there are any slight changes in your approach for Palmatum, Amur, Campestre?

Marie,

at the moment I have no plan to enter a field maple. Or maybe I will ther are outstading field maples at Nature's Way. The approoaches are almost the same.

 

[Walter Pall]

Are you certain that this meets the 3 inch criteria? You might need to remeasure.
Incredible tree. Always a pleasure to see your specimens and how you transform them, this one is especially impressive. Any idea on the age?

Oh, I thought it is three feet!! And it is VERY old. No idea what that means.

 

[fraser67]

I"ve gotta go get my jaw reattached to my face...WOW!

 

[Walter Pall]

It may be a child that is behind the tree. I honestly don't know the exact dimensions yet.

 

[Don Blackmond]

The low trunk is amazing. Makes me wonder what is upstairs. It will be Christmas in early May and Walter will be opening that present wrapped in leaves to have a peek. Very exciting....

 

[Cadillactaste]

The girth of that trunk and the narrow/slim pot is quite impressive to me. One could play hide and seek and hide behind that tree and never be found!

Thanks for taking the time to share the photos...quite impressive to see such mature specimens in bonsai...to hear the story they could tell...reminds me of another member here...and a poem they wrote.

 

[MACH5]

Yep that's a nice one! It may still be a little skinny for me though!

 

[AppleBonsai]

Badass tree though. Good luck and keep us posted on it Walter!

 

[Eric Group]

Wow
Maples are my favorites... Especially JM, and ESPECIALLY the corkers... This is by far the Largest trunk I have ever seen on one!

This has the potential to be one of the stars of your world class collection of Maples Walter, thanks for sharing!!

 

[Djtommy]

Very impressive, i can imagine this will be entered at noelanders after its gotten some of time in your garden. Great find

 

[M. Frary]

Yikes!

 

[drew33998]

Jaw dropping. Absolutely top notch material

 

[sorce]

That's no child!
That's Waldo!

Nice Walter!

Sorce

 

[Walter Pall]

Finall yit is her in my garden. I got in on Sunday, on Monday it was altready done. What a surprise! I had bought a great trunk with some hope of a reeasonable nebari with roots that were not grafted. I thought thst the crown would be bad and it would take five to ten years to fix it. And now - here we are. Watch this!

 

[Walter Pall]

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