TOP 25 Japanese Maples For Focal Point Gardening | MrMaple Show Podcast

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Today on the Mr. Maple Show podcast, Corbin and Sha count down the top 25 Japanese maples for focal point planting. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Howdy, Maple family. It’s the Mr. Maple Show podcast and we are back with another countdown. We are counting down today the top 25 Japanese maples for a focal point planting. Hey, this is Corbin, man. Thank Thanks for uh getting me on this. I know I’m I’m a pretty good focal point out there in the garden, too, man. We’re always looking. We’re always looking. But hey, before we jump right in, let’s go through the motions. Remember to like, subscribe, and share, and check out mraple.com. It’s because of that we’re able to sit here and talk about trees with y’all. Hey, you just want to jump right in? Let’s Let’s do it, man. So, before we just start going down this list of top 25 focal point Japanese maples, let’s talk about what is a focal point. And if you just randomly say go to Google and Google what is a focal point planting, they’re saying it’s a striking plant that has a unique shape and a dramatic, you know, ornamental aspect that draws you in. And I always kind of looked at it myself when doing landscape design is it’s kind of the tree that you kind of build and design your whole entire garden around. Yeah, focal points are going to be super important and they come in a lot of different ways. You know, um certain different areas in the gardens can have a different need for a focal point. So, I think this list is a great um set of examples of uh not not every single one of these trees is going to work in your space, man. That’s why uh there’s 25 of them. Hey, if one of those 25 doesn’t work, there’s going to be a pretty good chance you can hop on mr maple.com, find that perfect tree for your location because this is all kind of um suggestion, you know, like we’re we love maples, but it’s it’s all um a subjective thing right here. So, and Sean’s got this awesome list of stuff that I’m I’m I’m excited to talk about because as you kind of go through here, we got a nice list of stuff that’s a little bit more um common to a lot of people that they might understand. we get a little bit more into the rarer stuff, but this is all going to be great stuff to have in your garden in those areas to kind of whenever I think about focal points, I’m thinking like that wow moment, you know, right? And and keep in mind, you don’t just have to have, you know, sometimes say focal point and sometimes you think singular. I’m only going to have this one tree as my focal point and build around it and design around it. But keep in mind, you can have more than one focal point in your in your landscape in your garden. Hey, let’s go ahead and jump right in. At number 25, we have Acer Palmatum Blood Good. And you might be wondering, Blood Good on a list as focal point. But, you know, think about it. This is the tree for a lot of people that started out started them down that journey of Japanese maples. How often do we at open houses talk to people say I went to a big box store and I bought a blood good and now it sent me down that rabbit hole. I wanted more. But man, Blood Good, how many times, especially, you know, go back into the 80s, you know, where it kind of really started with blood good, but how many people over these years, for the last 30, 40 years, you drive down the street, your neighbor, and you go, “Wo, what is that red tree in their landscape?” And you know, for a long time, 99% of the time, it’s Acer Pel made them blood good. Blood good is an amazing tree from that other perspective too that um Sean mentioned earlier to the the other side of the coin of that for me it’s kind of a little bit different um for me I didn’t start with bloodg good I got introduced you know I’m sure there’s a lot of people that are listening now they came across the YouTube um because you know they saw some flashy maple that just caught their eye and that was me too you know u we were just talking outside with Brian And and um whenever you first get started and you really get open up to the world of maples, you really want to chase that shiny thing. But then as you kind of uh you know start collecting some of these variegated plants, you you really don’t want to forget about these classics cuz like Sean and I were talking, there’s a reason that they’re classics, you know. Um it’s not because they don’t have merit. Uh it’s because these trees have stood the test of time. They work in a lot of people’s areas and it’s it’s easy to kind of um overlook them because they’re kind of considered a basic tree now. But as I’ve continued to grow and um kind of develop my uh horicultural pallet, you really come to understand like wow like somebody had the foresight forought to pick this tree for cultivation and it still works. It’s still like this timeless thing like a red Japanese maple will always be in style. Oh, absolutely. And if you drive down any road, if they if it’s the only Japanese maple you have in your yard and it’s a blood good, it’s still to this day going to stop people and say, “What is that red tree in your garden?” That’s why it has to make number 25 on the focal point plantings. And like I say, or like you said, man, it’s a classic. And it’s always it always has it always will have a place in the garden. Moving on, number 24, we have to go with Acer Palmatum Macawa Yatsubusa. The OG Macawa. Man, to me, Macawa Yatsubusa in its, you know, there’s so many different variants out now. Some that are extremely fat, flashy, start getting into, you know, the variegation of like Snow Kitten or something like that. But man, this one to me is a tank. I’ve seen it grown in multiple parts of the country where it’s whether it’s full sun or whether you have it shaded out some. But man, the unique shape of Mawi Yatsubusa is always going to you say that wow factor is always going to make somebody say, “What is that?” And there’s a reason why it ends up on so many lists, even in the number one spot. And one of the probably one of the most popular trees in the country right now is the original Macaw Yatsubusa. Um yeah, I mean this was a great tree for me to get started on identifications um of maples. I mean whenever you start working am maple and you have no um interest. I mean I had interest in plants but I had no knowledge of them. Makawi atusa a great tree to get started with identification and I mean that shows you a little bit of how good it is for um you know that focal point there. I could just go and count all the times where I’ve seen a Macawa in its full majesty. And I mean, it’s that same thing. It’s a classic. It’s it’s it’s like listening to that Beethoven, man. You know, it’s like it was cooked up a couple hundred years ago, but it still has merit. It still has that power and effect. And I think it also speaks to it, man, that uh this tree, I mean, a dead branch of a Macawi Yatsubusa is visually interesting. Like if a branch has snapped off and you found it, it had no leaves, no nothing. Like you’re going to look and study that branch and be like that’s funky. And uh whenever it’s attached to a live tree, it’s got leaves on it. I mean, it’s still has that it it’s just this alien looking plant. I love how tight and dense the bud terminals are to each other. But man, like you want to see this thing as a focal point. Skip ahead a little bit to that fall color. Oh my gosh, dude. the the larger the specimen is, the more amazing. Mhm. Um but like even at a, you know, a twoft size, like this is going to be a tree that’s going to make you focus on it. It’s going to be something that draws people’s attention. Um it’s going to pair really well with a lot of other things. And um the texture in the garden that this provides, it is something where it’s like anything that’s built around this will be better because of that that plant makiatubusa is in the garden with it. And you know that kind of leads right into our number 23 Acer pelatum shishi shagiraa. This is another one of those that’s easy to grow, can be used in multiple different, you know, aspects in the garden applications, but I think makes such a great focal point because it has such a unique uh growth habit. Uh the more sun you give it, the it’s going to get a little bit wider. If you keep it in a more shaded area, it’s going to be more columner, but you can use it in such many different applications with those tight layering leaves. Kind of like, you know, Macawa where you got that shingling effect going on with it. But it’s such a tank. It’s another one of those 1700 list that and you and I we’ve had the honor of going and touring private gardens and also going to you know some national gardens and you know and you get in front of one of you know a large specimen of shishi shagera and you just stand back in awe with how green that it gets during the summer. I even think that there’s a bark interest to Shishi Shagiraa and it just, you know, it’s such a unique plant and in all honesty, it was the first Japanese maple I bought because of just how unique the structure is of it. I just think, you know, for a focal point, man, you can build around a Shishi Shagira. Yeah. I mean, I I’ve got to witness these, like you were saying, in all sorts of different separate uh situations, and um I I’ve actually seen the oldest shisha gashiraas in America. I got to go visit uh Don Schmidt Nursery and they had three giant um shisha back there. I think maybe it was two. One of them got hit by a vehicle um and they had to get rid of it. But it is like you said I I’ve seen this in like three different ways and I’ll say all of them are visually interesting. I have seen it, you know, grown where it’s kind of this um not spreading, but it’s like a very wide tree, very dense wide tree. And then we actually went to um I think it might have been Dan Averit’s garden where he had that columner variety, right? And oh my gosh, like you talk about just having this tree that can do both of those things. It’s so amazing. But then that third, this is a great bonsai tree, right? I mean, in Japan, I saw a lot of shishi bonsai. And I think like, you know, that not may not be something that’s interesting to everybody out there, but that is another way to have this tree as a focal point in the garden. It doesn’t even need to be in the garden. It just needs to be there. It’s going to draw people’s attention. It’s going to look great. And it can do that in a pot. It can do that as a columner tree. And it can do that as a wide kind of um I mean that’s a focal point, but this tree is going to be a focal point in the garden no matter where you put it. And moving right along, we’re going to we got to give some uh love to lace leaves. You know, a lace leaf can be a great focal point planting. And coming in at number 22, we have Acer Palmatum Bald Smith. All right. Why is this down at 22, man? I mean, uh this this tree is is amazing. I and you know that’s just me, you know, we’re kind of ribbon each other on that. But Baldith, you talk about a dynamic tree. I mean, I can close my eyes. I got my eyes closed right now for the audio listeners and I can just see all the bald smiths in my head that I’ve ever witnessed before and just like that beautiful pink new growth. Uh, I think like this one has a very interesting structure and how it like kind of twists and spreads and um it’s really really good if you prune it cuz whenever I think about this tree I’m taking back to Dan Everett’s garden and I I don’t mean to uh you know be be uh kissing Dan’s butt or anything but um man his bald it’s like people should strive to have one tree that looks that good in their garden. you know, it’s like not everything has to look like it. Um, but he he kind of did that Miyawaki pruning method where, you know, the birds could fly through and this thing during the fall, if it doesn’t look like this hot pink ‘ 90s, like neon looking tree. I mean, it is just one of the most wild trees I’ve ever seen. Well, you know, Brian and I were talking off camera before about Baldith, and you know, I was telling him I I almost think that Baldith can be a or is sometimes very underrated as a lace leaf. But what I really like about it is sometimes when it’s a smaller specimen, it’s not as easy to see it. But if you put this out in the landscape, and you you and I talk about this often, but that that kind of a three-year rule that you know by the third year, you really see it getting established and doing it. And to me, Baldith takes on this like almost like when the light shines through it, this threedimensional look to it where you have that older growth underneath, but then you got that that pink layer on top. And when the sun shines through it, it is like no other lace leaf. We can talk about all the different stuff or the different lace leaves out there and how their habits and their colors, but Baldsmith just brings it this whole new just different look to it with those pinks on top of those greens. And as a focal point, man, you could just build around that because it has that kind of that three-dimensional feel to it when the sun shines through it. Yeah. I mean, I I if you’re talking about Brian Rules Baldsmith that he has in his garden, it it looks almost like this kind of pink greenish cloud just floating. And I love the shape on his. Uh this is one you’re definitely going to want like that sun to kind of pass through. Um it’s going to be be one you’re going to want in an area where you’re going to be able to witness it. Um because it it’s just super amazing. I think that one is very underrated because of the name. like if it if it had a different name, I think that that that one would be flying off the shelf. I mean, even seeing 10gon trees here at the nursery um that haven’t been pruned in like a specific style of pruning, they still look amazing. And um yeah, that that’s definitely one where I think more people should be interested in that. Okay, coming in at number 21, we have Acer Palmatum Orangeiola. And I was thinking, you know, kind of the same line of Baldith, but man, Orangeiola, when you get to that time of year, and we just had some amazing ones at our last open house that whenever someone was looking for Orangeiola, it was like, “Hey, come take a look at these 10 gallons that we had.” And at that time, you know, when we had the open house, man, it was green. And then you had the new flushes of growth of red. And then you had some, you know, like, and I always liked it that Matt and Tim sometimes described it as the as uh the 31 flavors, the basking robin of trees, because you get so much going on with it color-wise, habit-wise, that lace leaf, the way it weeps, man, it’s just such a dynamic focal point tree, but at the same time, you know, like we were talking before how sometimes when you get enamored with, you know, you walk in and you see some of these flashy variegated stuff like that. Man, orange to me just brings a very nice refined elegance to the garden and to build your garden around that I think just makes it just an excellent focal point tree. Yeah, I mean this is a tree in a field of trees that’s going to stand out. I I I really slept on this one for a long time. Um but I think this tree kind of found me. Um, it it is just so dynamic and I didn’t really understand that until I had one at my house. And in in the greenhouse, even in the greenhouse, it can look one type of way because like you’re only coming in there every once in a while. Um, maybe you’re only passing by a certain group of trees every once in a while, but whenever you have orange yol at home, mine, uh, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if any of you guys watch the garden walk through at my house, I just did, um, this is sitting right next to the sidewalk where I just get to walk past it every single morning and it looks just a little bit different every single day. And that that initial push and where everything kind of like gets ready for summer and it turns to that green, but then it starts getting, you know, it goes from those oranges to like more of like a deep purple to like having like a hunter green back to something where it’s kind of like that bronzing color. Oh my gosh. And then how all those are layers are just stacked like making this like mosaic of color that you can just like look down on and just get lost in it. I mean, is does it does anything kind of describe a focal point plant better than that? And you also kind of one uped all of us that have orange. Uh, you know, I have mine at at the house and it really this summer, past summer, it really flushed out underneath and filling out. And, you know, it’s one of my favorite favorite trees that I have in my collection. But, man, you one uped us by getting yours on a pine bark, man. How’d you how how’d you pull that off, man? Like you went up to all of us. You’re like, not only do I get all these colors and foliage and weeping action, but on a pine bark and and yours is on a standard, right? It’s a standard on a pine bark. Oh, man. Yeah. It’s about a twoft standard. It’s got a genetic mutation on the rootstock underneath and it’s a pine bark. I uh at this point too, I I’m kind of like sold on that idea. I really think that um as you know the collector and um I mean we’ve already seen it on eBay too. Like I got very lucky. I’ll say I I was walking through the nursery with a customer um on an appointment which you can schedule on Thursdays if you want to come visit the nursery and look at some of the larger stuff. Um I was walking with her and Logan um which yeah Logan’s my homie from back in the day. me and him uh we used to tag team the um appointments but we were looking through all these and this super nice lady is um she’s like I want an orangeola and we went back there we pulled out a bunch and I think either Logan or I pulled this tree out and I was kind of looking at it and he was kind of looking at it and like we just noticed that there was just something different about it and I start looking at this bark on the tree And it’s got just a little splotches of that pine bark. And you know, I try to be forthcoming with information. I’m not trying to um you know, get one over. I’m I’m not that crazy at collecting. Um so I told the lady, I was like, “Hey, like this is a really awesome tree. Like this is what’s happening.” Um and this is actually two trees in one. Not that every graft isn’t two trees on one, but this is two uh genetically interesting trees on uh a graph together. Uh if you get this, it’s going to be kind of this one of a kind thing. And um it’s going to be cool. I I actually would love if we did uh maybe Arakawa rooted cutings or went in kind of try to select some uh root like these pine bark seedlings to graft onto because I just think that that’s like any lace leaf that has grafted onto a pine bark and I know that might not be as feasible just because of production and everything but um if you can score one of those you that’s a must in the garden. So, our next one coming up at number 20 and this one was picked for and again like when I said that you could have more than one focal point planning because you can play these out that depending on the time of year it becomes that focal point planning. So, at number 20 we have Acer Palmatum Osaka Zuki. Man, we’re talking about the tree that when it comes to red fall color, every other tree is going to be compared to it. This is for many people this is the best red fall color. So has to come in on the list as a focal point planting because this Osaka is just like I say the best one of the best for red fall color and will be your red fall focal point. Yeah. And I I I’m I’m always playing devil’s advocate. I’ll be honest, man. I I love thinking about ways that uh you know other trees can be viewed other than you know what’s on that description. And I really love this tree uh during the springtime. I think like it’s kind of slept on. Um, but it’s like always if you look at trees during the spring as that color emerges, you get that little hint of what fall is because as all those uh nutrients and um you know the chlorophyll on the leaves and the pigment starts to develop inside of it, you’re going to see those layers slowly start to build. and Osakuzuki whenever it kind of gets that spring push and it’s maybe a couple weeks into spring and you still have that just faint pink kind of blush over top of it with the the beauty of the samaros and the the fatness of the leaf. I mean, it it it’s just it kind of just takes me back to that early time of spring, thinking about it. Um, and just knowing like with that that little tease of that idea of what fall time is going to be like, it it’s just awesome. It’s like a little Christmas present. It’s like, well, here’s a hint on what your Christmas present’s going to be this year, and you already know it’s going to be awesome. So, and you know, it’s one of those stable ones where like, and when I say stable, I don’t mean like, you know, when you’re talking about like variegation, reverting. What I’m talking when I say stable, I mean like consistent. You will get a consistent fall out of Osakuzuki every single year. It’s, you know, you can rely on it that it’s going to perform. Just a killer killer killer tree. Okay guys, moving right along. We’re coming on to our first nonpelmatum on the list as a focal point planting. We’re going with number 19, Acer Sherinum, Bronze Age. Yeah, I mean this tree, Talon Buck Halt’s introduction, another one of I I know I’m probably people hear me say this is one of the first trees blah blah blah. This is one of the first trees, but um you talk about kind of putting me on that Sherominum, you know, species I got put on by Bronze Age, just the beauty of them, how just insane they are. And this is kind of like that same BaskinRobins effect. I’ll be honest. Like I think this one kind of shares similar colors to Orangeiola in some aspects. Obviously, it’s a different leaf shape. It does have different shades during the summertime. Oh man. But just the dynamicness of this plant really just like it’s it’s so amazing. um to just have this beautiful bronze kind of almost almost like a cherry red color. You can get with an inlay of like a lime green or like kind of a yellowy color uh during that spring leaf to push into those purples to push into those kind of like nice greens that you get um to push into even more bronze color. And then oh wait, we ain’t even to fall yet. Like what the heck? Well, that you know, you talk about that fall that for for Bronze Age. I don’t know how many times when your orders would come in and we’d be out there pulling them and we had Bronze Age, how many times I would go pull Bronze Age or go to pull something else and walk past a set of Bronze Age and just think, oh, Japanese maple share sinum. And it really wasn’t about 2 years in working here at Mr. maple going in during the fall and seeing that fall that that yellow and just being like, “Holy cow, that tree is awesome.” Tim, one of those is going home with me today. And it wasn’t until that next spring that I really took a look at it and watched it leaf out on my own. Every day seeing go through that, I’m like, “Wow.” Like you say, it’s got that it’s almost like that 31 flavors kind of like orange, man. the spring, the way it leaves out and the veining that you can see and the the the that that bronzing kind of color that it goes through spring, it’s like, man, like that spring is just as enjoyable and pops out just as much. And then going into those summer months, but then like you said, returning to that fall, that yellow, and it was that fall that drew me in. And it wasn’t even that spring, but then discovering like, man, this is a threeseason plant for sure. And even a four season, you know, cuz the structure of it is it’s a good looking tree, even outer leaf. Okay guys, we’re keeping it going. And still yet another non-pelatum at number 18, focal point plantings, Acer Japonicum, Yamakagi. Yeah, I mean the mountain shadow. um named Mountain Shadow Yamakage. Um I mean I think I saw this tree very first day I showed up. I mean how could you miss it? It’s right in front of our office and it just has a presence. Like you talk about focal point. Mhm. Anytime I step outside with Sean, you know, maybe smoking a cigarette, maybe we’re just out there taking a little break from the computer screens, I just am drawn to it, man. There there’s so many trees that are in the garden. It’s it’s the largest tree in that little display garden that we have, but the large aonum leaves compared to some of the Macawiabusa forms that we have, some of the weeping late varieties that we have in that garden. And this is the tree that kind of holds this little garden together. It’s that big foundation plant like right there. It’s that big focal point plant that you you might start looking at some of the smaller trees because you’re closer to them, but your eye is going to get stuck on that trunk and like slowly follow that tree up to have, you know, those giant tropical looking leaves hanging over top of you. um you know those large samaros and kind of that classic kind of stoic strong structure that japonicums give you with that kind of stretched out bud terminal. So you know kind of like complete opposite of macawa you know maybe a couple less leaves more stretched out but it’s going to be a stronger structure. It’s going to look like I I kind of think of the japonicums are like kind of like the old men of the gardens. They really are like some nice bones. Well, like you say, just the pure size out of it makes it a great focal point. Like like you can get those like dinner plate size foliage on it. And then you talk about that structure and just how you know it’s just it just brings out it pops. But then you talk about the samaras on it, man. it being a bigger leaf like that that sometimes you know with you know we forget that Japanese maples are flowering trees but some of them are such slow growers some of and it’s also can be conditional that you know some of them depending on the year may not push in any somar you may not get any seed but man yamakagi seems like every year during the spring you can see those flowers you see the samaras coming uh those big leaves, but then it being a japonicum, man, you head into the fall, man, you get those japonicum colors where on one leaf you can have orange, red, a little green left, some purples in there. I mean, like once you get into that, so like you’re talking about that during the spring and summer, you’ve got that big bold presence as a focal point, but then man, once you get into the fall, the magic starts. Yeah, I mean I I think an alternative name for this tree could be like mountain fire or something like that, you know, because this tree demands you look at it whenever it’s fall time. I mean, there are some trees that are, you know, maybe they beat around the bush. They’re like, “Okay, I got some nice fall color.” like but this tree the structure of it the large size of the leaves it is it’s I mean it’s king in the garden like during fall time especially in our little garden we have up front it just it it almost looks like the house is on fire and I I mean to evoke that kind of imagery in one’s head like through a plant I think just like I I love that and I know I get a little bit um you know maybe hoy toy or you know a little granoly but I mean that’s just kind of the emot notion that some of these trees evoke from me and I I think it just it it speaks to how awesome that one is. Okay, moving right along at number 17, we got the chameleon maple. We have Acer pelatum gables glory and I just saw you go home with one not too recently. And man, this is one like I think that term chameleon maple works out so well. Is one of those again that is constantly changing. But the thing, the reason I had to put this on the focal point list was that man, every time I go out there and there’s Gable Glory around other Japanese maples, it almost seems like the Gable’s glory is always putting on a show and is always taking the attention of look at me. Nothing wrong with the other maples. They’re doing great. They look great. But it being that chameleon maple man and constantly changing it just stands out like nothing else. Yeah. I mean, how can it give you almost like the showjo colors during the springtime and then not move from a green like it doesn’t move to a green from that? It moves to a yellow like and I mean like a white yellow like the eye of this tree will have a different color than the margin of the leaf. Um it it’s just insane. And to see that slow transition from this kind of hot pink, hot cherry red, um to move from maybe that just I I love looking at the gradient of this tree. I mean, I think like that’s some of the beauty of having a larger specimen. I’ve never seen a large gable’s glory in person. I’ I’m most of the time I’m dealing with one gallons, three gallons. Um, but even on a onegon to have a gradient like it does in the greenhouse where you can literally see every single stage of the leaf just by looking from the top all the way down. I mean, that’s just like something amazing to me. It’s like you literally walked into a a, you know, Sherman Sherman Williams paint store. You picked up, okay, well, I want Yeah. Give me hot pinks all the ways to yellow. And it shows you every color in between. And um yeah, I any tree that is a yellow that kind of gets that sun bleaching effect, that’s a winner for me. Okay, coming in at number 16. And this one I think can we can incorporate some other. It doesn’t have to be this exact cultivar, but I think it’s just the best representation, but I have at number 16, Acer Pelatum Sango Kaku. talking about coral bark for season interest and when I say that it’s like you know okay sango cakuz I mean we see them all over the country we see them used as street trees and you know it’s it’s it’s almost it’s one of those classics when it comes to the coral bark but you know maybe I don’t have the space for it well there’s you know like little sango or there’s other there’s other varieties but so just kind of using sangu kaku as a placeholder for the wide variety of cultivars that are coral bark. But man, bringing a coral bark Japanese maple into the landscape definitely is a focal point, especially that time of year when the chlorophyll starts to leave that tree and you start to get that coral effect on on on it and you can contrast that with other stuff in the garden. And then at the same time, man, that one out at Buck Holtz Talon’s uh huge Sanguaku like yeah, even though it like as old as it is a large, you don’t get that same coloration on the bark, but man, when it gets to that size, the habit of it takes over the interest, the way it grows. And then, man, come fall, come fall, that yellow color that that it goes to, man, I mean, you can’t beat it. You got to bring a coral bark into your landscape. Yeah, I was definitely um happy to get some of that drone footage um of that tree and its full fall color because it’s magical, you know, it’s like coral barks, you know, obviously the bark interest. Um I like the leaves of them, too. I think most of them have a nice similar leaf that’s, you know, nice size, nice shape. Um, but yeah, the fall color is so amazing. And uh I’m just I’m going to say this a little point too, but it’s like anytime you see a tree that is kind of the you know matriarch or patriarch of a whole set of family of trees like you know there’s the Macawa Yatsubusa family there’s the coral barks you know we have um certain trees that are kind of the foundation this building block of a three. And I I think that that says so much about it is like, all right, we don’t just want coral barks. We want a sangukaku that’s variegated. We want a sangukaku that’s miniature. We want a witch. Yeah. Witches broom off of this. Um any sort of difference. And like when you start having like the branches, and I don’t mean physical branches, but I mean like a branch of like maybe a family tree. Exactly. No pun intended. Um, that’s really how you know like this tree is is good because it’s like somebody’s trying to take that further. And I think whenever you go with Sanguaku that that isn’t just a safe bet, that’s something that’s calculated. That’s something like that’s wisdom that other gardeners have kind of, you know, smoothed this down to almost a perfect form. Um, and they’re just trying to take it a little bit further each time. Okay, moving right along. Coming in at number 15, we have Acer Palmatum Tamukiyama as uh some people know Tim’s Turkey Mama. Uh but man, I had to throw this on the list. And kind of there in that 15 kind of in the middle there mark of the list, Tamukiamyama. You’re talking about a tree over 300 years old been cultivated for those specific traits. But man, Tamukiamyama, man, you can find that all over the country in people’s gardens as a focal point. And it’s just elegant. It’s graceful. The the colors you get on it, the, you know, even in spring going through then carrying back into the fall, man, it is just, you know, that that weeping habit as a lace leaf, man. I think that as a tree that’s been around as long as it is, it is just one of the most killer appropriate trees for a focal point planting. Cold, hearty, heat tolerant. I mean, the list of like this tree’s accomplishments in the garden. And to not just have, oh, this wasn’t just introduced 30 years ago, which is a long time in the maple world. This was introduced 300 years ago. And I mean guys, I drive a Japanese car. They are about quality. They are about efficiency. You know, the whole culture of Japan is that even like the janitor that’s sweeping up the stuff, if he has a better idea of how to get stuff done, like they’re going to listen. And the fact that this tree is like 300 years old and there’s not I mean there’s been improvements around it, but that this is still good enough to keep putting out to people. That says it all to me, man. You know what I’m saying? Like I I’m one of those people. I try to listen and learn from other people. And it’s like it should tell you a lot that this tree is that old. It’s still in this fast changing industry where you know especially now people are introducing a lot of different stuff and like this tree still holds to the test of time and I’ll say this tree I love I love now listen to this I love multi-planting of this tree. Oh heck yeah. Like if if you have a possibility of getting a huge like high graft of this tree, get other trees that you know, maybe get something that’s half as tall. Get something that’s way shorter than that. And it works so so well as having like a multiplanting of this. Just having that height difference, it looks amazing. Yeah, you get that mounding feature. Like I mean, yeah, I couldn’t agree more. Great mass planting tree. Um, but now we’re moving on from talking about a, you know, something 300 years old to a Talon buckle introduction, something that’s newer, part of the new ghost or we’re kind of coining the new ghost. But we’re talking about at number 14, Acer Palmatum, Celebration. Yeah, Celebration. It It will literally make you like jump up and down for joy. I feel like, man, um, it’s so amazing, too. um in the green houses there’s there can be a lot of different microclimates. There can be a lot of you know micro conditions that are happening and and changing how each different tree can look. And I mean there is celebration in a lot of the houses and you could go and look at one celebration that looks like this and then one celebration that looks like this and one that looks another way and one that looks another way and it’s it’s still all celebration which I love about articulated varieties. I think that they have like the most dynamic change in color based on shade situations and that is like that’s like a create your own player, you know? Like I know Matt and Tim talk about that with like wishing they could create their own maples, but these are like kind of, you know, move this wherever you want, let it grow. Um, but then that’s also what’s awesome about it. The larger it gets, the more depth it has, the more varieties of color changes you’re going to see based on those kind of micro conditional effects inside of the tree. You’re going to get all those colors. Yeah, celebration to me is one of my uh I would say is on my favorite list for new reticulated trees or newer reticulated trees. Man, I love walking in when you talk about one. It’s articulated the spring leafing out and you get kind of like you when you talked before, you kind of get that glimpse of what you’re gonna get later on down the road. And you kind of get those reds and pinks when it leaves out. And then you see that reticulation come in. And then you head into that those summer months and you you start to go where the the the pigment starts to get to that green with that white reticulation and then that starts to mature and the leaves start getting greener, but then it starts pushing out that summer growth on top of it and it is the most intense bright red new growth to me. I’ve walked into green houses or I’ve seen even bigger specimens out there in the landscape that you walk out there and it looks like the tree is got flowers coming out of it. It’s just so intense. And you know, like I say, celebration. I think that’s really like when you such a great name cuz when you see that summer growth with that bright red coming out on top of that older growth right there, it just feels like a celebration, man. just such a great tree. But between all that changing colors, reticulation, and the growth habit, man, it has to be had to be on the list for top 25 focal point plantings. That that’s definitely a great tree. Okay, moving along. Coming in at number 13, we have Acer Palmatum Ryusen. Man, I cannot think of this tree without thinking of Cindy B’s Ryusen that she has in her garden in Texas and how her placement of it and she has it staked up maybe a little bit more than 6T now, but the way it’s staked up and the way it weeps down, man, it is such a attention grabber in the landscape. that weeping habit and you know just how malleable it is and what you can do with it. And I’ve even seen pictures you know get out there on Facebook at the Mr. Maple Group, man. People have ruins posted where they have some older specimens, man. Where it look at their photos where they have it above, you know, like I like putting it up on a like, you know, a mound where you have something, man. Watch that to come down. Weep over some rocks or weep off that mound, man. It is just a allaround. And again with Rayusen. Hey, man. I had to, you know, kind of like that. Sango Kaku, man. We could, you know, apply dragon master, golden falls, yellow cascade, ghost cascade. What do we say? But I mean that rayusim nakamato weeping, you know, that started all this, you know, weeping lineage like that. But man, all those can be rolled into that rayusen kind of category. But man, they are just such attention getters in the garden. Yeah. I mean, I I really think that different maples kind of evoke like different elements. Um, I think most of the time like uprights, uh, depending on their shape, they kind of like evoke this, uh, effect of like a fire in the garden to me. Uh, especially depending on their color, they can really really have that effect. Um, but any kind of weeping variety, I mean, it evokes water. And I I think that anytime, you know, if you have a pond, if you have um that verticality in your garden, uh you have something that needs some of that like, and here I get here I go again getting all hippie dippy, but you need something that has like that kind of like water uh feel. I mean, put a weeping variety there. Um it it really is amazing. And and for me it’s like I I got to see Nakamoto weeping. So uh and it was just amazing. And it’s like whenever you look at these weeping uh trees, these kind of trees, the mounding trees, and it it does evoke water, man. I mean, all I could think about looking at that huge old tree was thinking about all the water kind of moving through the tree. and ryusen. I I think on the other side of that too, I think this is like this can be used in a way to give some verticality. Um because ryusin can look like some of those weeping Himalayan or weeping Alaskan cedars. It can look like these kind of um you know columner trees that have this weeping effect and it kind of looks almost human out there in the garden like almost like there’s this kind of cloaked figure out there in the garden which I like. Um when that was one of the first things I noticed about Rayusen whenever I started working here all the pictures we have it it has like this almost personified um you know appeal to it whenever it’s staked up but then it has like this appeal of you know that flowing moving water whenever it’s just kind of let to weep and do what it does. So, moving right along, you might be thinking, man, there’s, you know, not a lot of flash and but you know, flash can bring a lot to that focal point planting. And that’s why here at number 11 had to throw in Acer Palmatum peaches and cream. Y’all talk about a reticulated I’ve even had uh talking to Brian off camera and he indicated he’s like, “Man, in his opinion, he thinks that peaches and cream right now is probably the best reticulated Japanese maple that’s in the trade right now. Everyone has opinions, but he thinks peaches and cream and it does, man. It is intense. those colors that when it those pink peachy colors in the spring and then even during the summer as it moves into those darker colors before going into fall, man, peaches and cream just brings it every day. I know I’m I feel bad about this tree because from my understanding it kind of gets mixed up in the trade and some other cultivars get swapped around. Um, but I’ve seen a true peaches and cream at Matt and Tim’s mom and dad’s place and just I mean it’s kind of almost like this wall of color. It it’s it’s it’s maybe what about I don’t know like 3 foot wide by about like 6 7t tall and it just has like these beautiful um full leaves. I mean, it it has these huge fat leaves and then you see that color in it with that slow kind of blush of that like little peach color, that little nice pink creamy color. And it just really just does have like this crazy effect on each single leaf. And then to see kind of that whole entire tree is just really cool. And um I I like peaches and cream for sure. And to keep it kind of moving, when we talked about Osaka Zuki being that fall focal point, I had to throw this next one at number 10 as an extreme spring interest focal point. But number 10, we have Acer Palmatum Ma. Yeah, I mean this the this is a tree that I was introduced to, you know, maybe like a year or two into being a part of uh Mr. maple. And yeah, I was just like kind of enamored by that beautiful spring color that it has. And um it’s it’s definitely one that uh I know a lot of the collectors go a little crazy for during the open houses and then you see them find one, pick it up, and you’re like, “Well, I understand that.” Well, I think ma is probably, you know, definitely when when you want to talk about like spring interest Japanese maples that I almost think it’s, you know, kind of part of that whole uh, you know, trifecta of like you can add that as like if you had to name three trees that bring it consistently every year in the spring, Milo would have to be on that list as one of the most intense, you know, just those those pinks and reds and kind of like it’s like it’s it’s almost like it it can almost be hard to describe exactly what that color is on ma during the spring because it changes and kind of moves. But I mean, it’s just one of the most intense spring interest Japanese maples in my opinion. Okay. And so let’s keep that uh that that uh you know splash going talking about ma man. And this one like it just seems like goes in man. Acer pelatum firefly again. We talked about the chameleon maple gable’s glory firefly. Another one of those spring interest summer interest fall interest. It’s one of those man. Like what color is Firefly Corbin? Uh yeah, I guess I would say it depends. It depends. Right. Right. It’s one of those that’s constantly changing. Check out those photos. And I would probably say it’s probably the one tree that we get accused the most of using some type of Photoshop on photo-wise because the colors are so intense. Yeah. I mean, this this is a tree where you can just kind of see all the influence in it. I mean to have like a sumagaki border um and then to have like this weird it goes green white it goes dark red it goes purple um and then to be reticulated on top of that it it is a strange plant and I will uh I’ll be honest I’m very enamored by this plant. Um we h we actually have two on the nursery. Um I got to dig one up from Matt’s yard. I guess it was about a year ago maybe a It might have been two years ago at this point, which is kind of crazy. Um, but yeah, I got to dig this up. It looked one color. I think it looked like this kind of nice dark um kind of green color, maybe a little bit of purple infused in it. And then I take it, I put it in a full sun location, and man, it went firetruck red with like kinds of like little blushings of purple. And then that reticulation is still really strong. Um, and then to go over to the one that’s in the front office, a little bit more shade. Maybe still getting a little bit of sun, but to have just kind of like that green peeking through um with like kind of a lighter pinky red. Um, oh man, I I love this tree. And like I was saying earlier about the uh the gable’s glory, this is a tree where the gradient, where the full tree really tells the whole story, where you get to see all those different colors, how Firefly looks in different um you know, micro conditions. Okay guys, moving right along. We’re getting we’re in our top 10 already. Moving in to number eight. Man, had to bring some yellow to the landscape. focal point plant thing. Had to go with Acer Palmatum. Summer gold. Yeah, man. Um, summer new, summer gold, man. You know what I’m saying? But, uh, this is a tree. I mean, I I I didn’t really understand it. um whenever I first got here and that was the yellow dance era of things, you know, maybe that first year of me being here and Tim kind of playing this bit of summer gold, you know, doing the everything with the summer gold, do the Carlton dance. Exactly. Which, you know, I love that uh little thing going on. But um as I kind of get more and more into plants to have a summer gold is a must to go over to Brian Rule’s garden and to see his summer gold where it just has this like beautiful buttery yellow color at the bottom. Then as you slowly move up to the more sunexposed leaves, they just slowly start getting lighter and lighter until it’s like almost like this completely white color with like this thin red margin um across like near the edge of the leaf. Um just kind of highlighting it. And then to see all those little white leaves and yellow leaves stacked on top of each other outlined with that red kind of variegation that it gets if you put it in the sun. Holy beep. You know, like that’s that’s like oh my gosh. My You’re not You’re not lying. Uh, I’ve got one and this year I moved it so that I have it in full sun and the way it leaves out like you talk about with that red border, that intense yellow with that red border and pushing it with the sun, full day sun and I’ll tell you what, it ate up the sun. I realize we’re zone 6B might be harder once you start getting into that zone 8, you know, in hotter climates. It might take some time to get established, but man, that red border and that yellow and then as moving into the summer, it I wouldn’t say that it, you know, like sometimes we talk about it green like plants will go green. It never fully goes green. It it kind of gets this this kind of more limey color, light color. So even when you start to get more chlorophyll in the leaves, it’s not that highlighter yellow you get in the spring with that red border, but it’s still much more yellow and lighter than anything else that I have in the garden. And man, once those summer flushes came on this year, the red summer flush, and I mean some of the some of the growth, I mean, you’re I’m talking about some of those flushes, man, a foot, a foot and a half. So, has some vigor to it. Like I say, I am pushing it in the full sun, but man, that yellow is true. And then everything else I have around it that’s a little darker, that darker green from the summer, man, it is just bringing it out even more, making itself pop and everything else around it pop. Yeah. Before we go to the next one though, check out an Irene. Um, I I’ll say that too. That’s that’s kind of uh one and it’s on the same kind of, you know, level of summer gold. I I don’t know if if that’s a hot take or not. Um an Irene sport off of a summer gold. Uh beautiful ruffled edge on the leaf unlike anything else. Uh beautiful variegation during the springtime. Um very uh akin to something like golden falls where you’re kind of getting that orange border. Mhm. If if you like summer gold, you you you might be a little bit of a newer collector. Um an Irene, beautiful thing u to pick up as well. So So to keep this moving along, coming in at number seven, I had to This is a non-palmatum, but bring in some white. Um, and you know, and there’s a lot of, you know, we could talk about, uh, Ukieumo, uh, you know, and some of the different white ones out there, but for a focal point planting, I had to go with Acer Compestra Carnival, cuz we’re talking about a white variegation. A lot of times when we start getting into some of those white variegated, we got to worry about sun exposure. Ma’am, Carnival, you can throw this into full sun. If you have a spot that you have full sun, you can throw this into full sun. It’s going to eat it up and bring some of the most intense white to your garden landscape, man. It’s going to bring it as a focal point. Then, you know what? It also has a fall. Yeah. I mean, carnival European field maple. Um, a great tree. This is This is a tree, dude. I kicked myself in the butt thinking about this because it’s like we’ve had so many awesome specimens and I haven’t ever ponyied up to to purchase one of these, man. I mean, I I think I’m a little little fearful of it uh just because of like that variegation even though I know like I mean my friend Logan has this uh I think in Charlotte. He’s got it on his back porch of his patio just chilling there. You know, it’s it’s it’s in a a container and it’s handling pretty pretty good sun. And uh you know, Talon has one in Oregon that’s looking pretty baller. Um I I will say I think this tree for me personally, I’d love to see it on a standard more um because I like having that verticality. It’s kind of more of like a bushier tree if you’re not cutting it back um to kind of give you that one sort of uh uh one sort of kind of um leader. Um but oh my gosh, man. You talk about some of the widest looking trees out there, man. This thing’s putting mayonnaise on everything. Yeah, man. I mean, like you most white trees you throw out in full sun are going to bake, are going to cook. And I think the trick with carnival is is watering. I think that it can eat up the whole the full sun, but I think ones where I’ve seen people struggle with it is that it’s overwatering. I think with Carnival, it doesn’t you think it does. And and and it’s that that’s that trick with it being white. And as white as it is, you you tend to think I need to baby this and take care of it. And I think sometimes we overtake care of it. And this is one of those put it in the sun, you know, good soil that will drain that, you know, but man, I think the trick is sometimes we overwater it, especially the the, you know, that particular one. But like I say, it’s such a tank and it’s white that it had to be on this list all the way at number seven. Had to make it. Okay guys, coming in at number six. Hey man, kind of funny. We were just talking about this off camera that that this this might be one of your next purchases, but we’re coming in at number six, Acer Pelatum Butterfly. Oh my gosh, man. I’m This is a tree. I don’t want to make that same mistake as I I did with the carnival, man. I want to pick one of these up, but sometimes it’s hard, man. And it’s like I think with um kind of so many options it’s hard to kind of pick a tree and I think I’ve seen that like you get that kind of choice paralysis and I think I get scared man but this is a tree I need to take a leap of faith on man. I it’s not even a leap of faith. It’s more like a calculated decision because it’s like I’ve seen this in Cindy B’s garden looking like I would I would go take that from her garden, man. If I could, man, if I could get away with it, I’d go get that tree. Uh I’ve seen it in Matt and Tim’s mom’s garden. Just looking fantastic. And I’ve seen it in one gallons. It It’s just like at any size this thing doesn’t uh it doesn’t miss. And I think like that’s important for a focal garden. I know. Um it it really just pulls my attention. And I love just like that play. You want consistent white color. You want a lot of white color. I mean those two options we just gave you with carnival and butterfly. You are not going to be disappointed. Like butterfly is one of the most amazing trees that I’ve seen. Well, I mean, you just talk about that, you know, with the the the leaf structure, you get some of kind of that swirling going on. Uh during the spring, you can get some of that that pink variegation going on. And then as you get into the summer when you kind of get that white and green contrast against each other. Now, this is one that you can see reversion on, so you do have to be conscious of that to remove the all green. But man, when you find one of these in the landscape that’s been taken care of with the, you know, cutting back any variegation or reversion if it happens, man, is going to be stunning. And like I say, like some of that swirling in the leaves, the pinks that you get, you know, early spring and then how those how those colors change between the white and green. I mean, it it it’s one of those again as a focal point planting, if you’re driving down the street and someone had one of these in their front yard, you’re going to stop and say, “What is that?” Okay, guys, we’re getting into the top five focal point plannings. And I have to come in with at number five, Acer Oliverum, hot blonde. and talk about man spring color then going you know that that that red pink kind of like you say kind of get an idea of what fall is going to be like but man that those those pinks and then moving into those yellows and then when you get back into fall man I seeing hot blonde with my own eyes I do think it is probably the only other tree out there that truly rivals Osakuzuki for the red that it does during the fall. Yeah, dude. It’s hard not to feel like a booty kisser to Matt and Tim on this one, man, because like, you know, it it really is. It’s like there there are certain things I think that are like important in the the maple game. And I think as a collector, as somebody who’s, you know, I haven’t been in the nursery industry very long, you know, just um almost three years now. But you kind of start to understand like the weight of certain trees like we were talking about with like that Sangu Kakaku with Makawi Aubusa like you can feel like kind of the ripples of like the what happened whenever they got put into the trade. And for me, I I don’t really think like the weight of this tree really set in until I started thinking about it from more of a business perspective, too, which is like I know it’s a weirder thing to talk about on podcast maybe, but it’s like this is a tree that will work in just about, you know, most of the United States. I mean, at least 70%. Yeah, exactly. Heat sun. It leaves out late to avoid, you know, that cold snaps, those late frosts. and it puts on growth. Like I I really didn’t I I didn’t understand like how important I think like this tree will be to like the nursery trade until maybe a couple months ago honestly. And and it really is insane cuz we have such a large um stock plant of this. We have a couple large ones and you know we didn’t put it in the ground but 2 years ago and I mean it’s putting on so much. I mean I wouldn’t say it’s doubled in size but it’s probably put on a [Laughter] It it almost looks like it, man. I’d say it’s at least got about as third as at least a third or a quarter as big as it used to be. Like I mean it’s so huge and yeah, it’s like oh my gosh during fall time. Holy cow, man. It’s like you just went through it’s Yeah. It’s like if you combine summer gold and Osakuzuki together, but then you were like, “All right, let’s throw in some hot heat tolerant like maples and like that.” It’s just literally like this plant that I I think will have implications in the nursery industry for a long time as we continue forward. And it already has. I mean, it really already has. And you talk about like it really sinking in, man. For me, it really sunk in when we went to uh Canada. Yes. And going to visit another nursery and walking into their greenhouse and seeing them growing hot blonde. And you we could talk about like the eye test, the smell test, something that passes. The number of other nursery men who are growing hot blonde that I’ve heard with my own ears, have talked to them myself that that sing the praises of hot blonde of just how tough it is. And and that’s the whole thing is when you can find a tree that is tough but has ornamental value that lives up to that focal point where it’s going to bring that ornamental value. Man, that’s just bringing something cuz you know as a landscaper, as a gardener, you you want something that when you have it in there is going to bring it every time year after year. You don’t want to have to struggle with it. You want it to bring it. And hot blonde is one of those. And you know, I could remember several years ago, hot blonde was, you know, somebody’s called to us, “Oh, it sells out so quick. Why don’t you have hot blonde?” Well, now we’re starting to see it, man, that we see it being grown in Europe. We see it being grown up in Canada. We see it being grown around the world because it is it it truly is. And it wouldn’t surprise me that in 20 years from now that we’re sitting here talking about, hey, I saw a hot blind as a street tree somewhere throughout the country or someplace else. or I mean even like Lowe’s man like that’s like kind of like I and I mean I don’t know if this is a hot take or whatever but I really think that hot blonde has the potential to be like you know akin to blood good and that sort of thing like as as time continues and you know maybe mark my words down maybe if I’m wrong you know erase part of the podcast but uh I I really think that that’s a special tree for sure. Okay, coming in at number four, we got us a lace leaf with flash that’s going to bring it to your garden. That focal point. Acer palmatum hannah mati. Yeah, this was one of my first loves, man. This is an awesome awesome amazing tree. Um yeah, the very first maple tree that I I I got. Don’t ask me where it is, but um it it’s just super amazing, especially to see this in like a fully grown and in a large specimen. Uh it’s it’s super amazing. Pinks, reds, the the the the I I actually think that the the the foliage as a lace leaf is different than other lace leaves. There’s so many different lace leaves out there, but man, seeing one of these in the landscape with the, you know, it’s this is another one of those with those pinks and reds, man, you’re going to get those like, again, like I kind of used it with Ballsmith, but man, it really brings this 3D effect to it. Especially if you have some sun shining through it, hitting off of it. It’s just going to make your landscape really, really pop. especially using it as a focal point with other trees around it. You know, having those reds and those pinks, man, you throw in some of these that get some of those yellows. Throw in that summer gold with that yellow against it, man. Throw in that ryusin with that green up against it. Man, it’s not only is it going to make all those other trees pop, but those other trees make it pop. And it just kind of creates this presence of man like whenever I see like a nice Hanamatoi in the landscape I I just get this this this presence like man this tree is what’s making everything else around it pop even more. Make the presence of that space pop even more. Yeah. I don’t I’m I’m just like sitting here thinking and I probably look like I had the 1,00 yard stare right there for a second, but I’m just sitting here. I’m like, which what do I like Hanumatoi more as? Do I like it more as like this Lilian jewel looking thing where I mean and I think Lillian’s jewel is a great tree to describe like Hanamatoi too. Absolutely. Like if you hold those two together, I mean Hanamatoy is the upright, you know, palmate style leaf version of Hanamatoy. Like right I don’t know if that’s a hot take too, man. I might be getting flamed in that comment section right now, but I’m like, you put those two together, they’re going to show a lot of uh similar colors. And they have they’re similar in the same way that like if you put Lillian’s Jewel in the shade, you’re going to pull a lot more of those greens and whites out and same with Hanama Toy. But if you put them in the sun, oh man, those fiery reds, those kind of maroonish reds mixed with the hot pinks, they’re going to come to play, man. And I I think that’s awesome. Like I love I love choice. Like I I like being able to decide what goes where and that there’s it’s doesn’t just stop at picking the plant up, you know? It’s like now it’s my decision. It’s time to go put this in the garden. Where do I put it? And hon it it’s it’s one of those trees that’s it’s just kind of magical, man. um you see all these kind of um you know variegation going on but then I’ve seen parts of hanamatoy where it just throws like a sport. It just throws like a branch full sport and it’s either completely pink, it’s completely white and then it’s just surrounded by that beautiful kind of um you know texture of the rest of the leaves with their variegation and it it it’s a magical thing. Um getting to go to Sucasa Maple where it was introduced and getting to meet utaka Tanaka was uh super awesome. Um, and to be in like the presence of where like Hanamatoy was found, you know, Sucasa, Silhouette, like all these great trees and like to just kind of get an idea of what you know that guy had going on in his life to find such an amazing tree like this was just super cool. And um, yeah, I mean, Han toy, you definitely want one in your garden. Okay, moving right along. Coming in at number three, we have Acer Pelatum Red Panda. Man, we’re talking about the Macaua variant. We have Macawa all the way back at number 24 and we’ve got Red Panda at number three. And I had to throw it on here as a focal point because man, you know, I explained to Brian or was talking to Brian and I said, you know, there was a part of me early on with Red Panda that my experience with it, my exposure to it was, yeah, I see all this and then all the hype about it. But man, Brian has a red panda as part of his focal point in his backyard part of the garden. And it’s vigorous. It’s the most intense red. It holds it the holds that red the longest. And like I said, the vigor on it, man. Like I think it’s more vigorous than Macawa Yatsubusa is. And I think the key is in full sun. But man, it eats it up. It holds that red. And then even when you get into the late summer months, man, it is still pushing off that new summer flush, red growth on top of it, man, if you put a red panda as a focal point, people are going to see it and know it. And who doesn’t like a red macawa? Yeah, dude. You could put I’m trying to think of some, you know, more basic trees, man. Like I can’t think of something boring enough to kind of overshadow this. Like if you put this in a forest of trees, I mean obviously it’s going to stand out. If you put this next to a million other macawas, it’s going to stand out. If you put this next to, you know, evergreens, that’s going to make it look better because it’s going to pop on the the background of that. It It’s just like this is a tree you could try your hardest to hide away from everybody and it’s still going to get attention. Like I I really enjoy this tree. I I’ll be honest, I didn’t really understand the hype whenever I first started here because like the hype train was so crazy. Sean was in there making Facebook posts trying to get people riled up and uh I was like, “Oh, well, I can’t be that crazy.” And then it’s like this year and last year go over to Brian’s house. I’m like, and for the audience uh listening, I have my mouth hitting the table right now because uh it just looks so awesome. Um, I mean Brian has a couple hundred trees in his backyard and I mean that red panda like stands out like it’s just like this beacon of a tree. Um, which is pretty crazy cuz if you’ve ever seen Brian’s Garden, all those trees, I mean, like it’s like a battle royale for your attention, man. You know, it’s just like all these amazing trees and somehow red panda pulls your attention like does it get much more focal point than that? It it doesn’t like and that’s like you described it perfectly. like does it like it doesn’t matter what situation you and and I’m like I say I’m like you like I was I was part of that building you know stuff up and posting stuff to you know playing off that hype that people were building and even you know like I say myself I’m like you know what do I really think about this and then talking about Brian’s is what made me a believer and then it even confirmed it more this last spring going out to Buckolds and they have one similar in eyes that they put in the ground and seeing like dude that one’s doing the exact same thing Brian’s is doing and then talking to like and seeing photos of MJ’s MJ’s posted them that he of his in his yard and then going to Portland and talking to Anton Clemens and and him saying oh I got one and I know the hype but it being legit like that’s just confirmation from experienced growers people that know what they’re talking about saying this is legit and like I say seeing it with your own eyes like cuz there’s you know people out there like oh my my seedling leaves out red nothing like this that’s why it had to come in at number three okay so moving we got two left at number two and this one I kind of picked at number two because it’s kind of a whole category uh Matt and Tim we have a podcast go check it out it’s it’s the top of these But I had to pick pick this particular cultivar because I just recently saw one out at at Talon’s place looking just prime. But we’re talking Acer pelatum eye candy. But man, really at number two for a focal point, man, you can really throw in any of the Higayyama style Japanese maples as a focal point planting. It’s going to stand out. that variegation, that reticulation. I mean, like all those higas hig higasayyama styles along with like eye candy, man. It just brings it. Any of them will bring it. They’ve got it all. They’ve got the different colors, the different, you know, just I mean, it’s probably as a number two, I think it is probably the one of the most worthy focal point trees. Yeah, I candy. I mean, it’s definitely not going to leave a sour taste in your mouth. That’s for sure. This thing is sweet. I mean, I the first time I was exposed to this, we were shooting a video out in um at Evelyn and um Norm’s house, Matt and Tim’s mom and dad. Tim was like super excited and he was just like, “Oh man, like this eye candy is looking great.” And I was like, “What the heck is that?” And then we get over there and you know he’s going full full crazy mode and I’m just happy to be there because you know I just love being around the passion that they have about maples and he’s like talking about the variegation of the leaf and I was like okay like that looks that looks cool. Um but then I go to shoot the B-roll for that and I’m just like oh my gosh these leaves are so tiny. They have so much detail, so much beautiful variegation in them. And it’s like a beautiful kind of pink, yellow, green kind of gradient going on over the whole entire tree. And that was cool. That was like maybe like towards the end of springtime we shot that. And then I believe maybe a year or two after we go to Buck Holtz and I get to see Talon’s huge eye candies. After Mattim purchased Buck Holtz and to see those two huge specimens of eye candy was just like super super amazing. Um because they just kind of like I and I I talk about like this kind of cathedral growth that stuff puts on, but there are like some plants that just have like the perfect amount of symmetrical growth plus like this the perfect structure that almost looks like a firework to me in the garden. I think Shishi kind of has that look and same thing with like maybe like Goshiki Kotoime and like those sort of like super tight shingling habit trees. But I candy with like just the combination of its growth habit plus the colors. I mean it looks like Fourth of July out there. And I I I think um like a lot of people, some of my favorite colors in maples are like that pink, white, and green kind of combo. And uh this this thing is just like hitting on so many cylinders. And I mean it’s just like red like red panda in a way. It’s like you can’t not look at this tree. Okay, coming up on number one and let us know in the comments what your number one focal point planting is. We love to hear it. And if you’re not, you know, if you’re not don’t comment on YouTube, get to that Facebook group and post some pictures and let us know what trees you like to use as your focal point plantings. But coming in at number one, we have Acer Palmatum Gisha gone wild. Yeah, man. I was actually thinking about this tree the other day. Um I was like, man, what what’s Talon doing up so late watching those crazy advertisements, man? Um cuz yeah, I mean that that’s what I I mean, obviously the name has some hints to some of that late night television advertisement. And um I’ll be honest, whenever I was, you know, too small to be watching that stuff, I would wake up in the middle of the night and see it. And uh I think like this tree kind of has that same appeal. It’s like it’s a tree that catches your attention, man. And like that name is it’s very funny. Um, but it it is just like a tree that’s all about grabbing your attention. And I think what kind of put this tree in perspective for me was the fact I went out to a brewery. I think it was like after the hurricane and everything had happened um out in Asheville. I can’t remember the name of the brewery, but I’m just like walking around, you know, looking at all the garden and stuff. And then at the front door of this brewery, there’s two 6 foot tall geisha gone wilds chilling there. And I was like just sitting there, you know, sipping on my beer. I was like looking over there at those trees and I was like, “What the heck is that? What is that, man? That can’t be like a Japanese maple here. Like this brewery isn’t cool enough to have like some crazy variegated thing.” finally went up um went to looking um and you know it’s pretty recognizable whenever you see it from a distance and you get up close to it and it still had the tag on there. I was like geisha gone wild man that was this is kind of crazy. It’s like wow like this is a tree from Oregon. It’s all the way here and it’s like got planted here by some you know contractors who you know might not even be a maple collector. Like that’s how crazy this tree is that you know it got put there. Pink. You got pink, you got, you know, swirling. You’ve got variegation. You’ve got, you know, depending on where you’re at. But like in a lot of locations, man, it handles heat well. It handles sun well. And I mean, you’re just talking about such a intense, unique uh tree, man. If you throw this in your landscape and build around it, it’s going to stand out as that focal point planting. And you know, I can’t think of anything else. But you talking about, you know, this being a talent buckled introduction. I always think with Gisha gone wild uh when we were there for maybe one of the maple societies it may be a trip but we were at someone else’s house that they had a get together and there’s a gisha gone wild in their front yard and we’re walking up the driveway and I look at Talon and I just had to ask him Talon what’s it like looking or going through someone’s garden and seeing a tree that you cuz you talk about the on the here in Nashville. But like go and say like what’s it like? That’s that’s that’s your tree. You introduced that. You found that sport. You put it into the trade. Like what’s it like seeing it in other people’s gardens? He’s just like, you know, it’s just very humbling and you know, it’s just one of those trees, man. It had to make number one as the top focal point because it’s going to bring it every time. And one reason is, man, I bought this as a gift for a friend. And I’ve seen it with my own eyes at his place. Like you say, you were at the brewery and you’re like, “What is that over there? Is that what I think it is?” Man, I’ve seen this tree in my buddy’s front yard in Memphis stop traffic. I’ve seen cars come to a complete stop cuz of just the intense pink variegation. You get some whites in there. you get, you know, and into summer you get some of those greens in there, but you still have that variegation. Man, it had to make that number one spot. Man, that was that was a great list of plants right there. I appreciate it. Appreciate it. I appreciate you going through them with me. Hey guys, we appreciate you if you made it this long, man. We appreciate it. Please give us a like, subscribe, or share. Let your friends know about us. But, you know, more we’re thankful that we get to talk about trees and we’re able to do it because of you. We’re thankful for that and we know that. And it’s because if you go into mraple.com that we’re able to sit here and make these lists and have collector’s corners and shoot cultivar highlights and interview other nursery men and do all these things. It’s because of y’all out there and we’re truly appreciative. Yeah, man. Guys, thanks for watching. Remember to take care. God bless. Have a great day. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music]