In this March 2004 edition:
1. New 'Japanese Maple News Channel' Launches
2. Special Offer - Larger Trees
3. Last Call for Seeds until November 2004!
March is almost over and at last we're seeing night time temperatures staying above freezing. Last night we had some well needed rain - we've been virtually dry for the past 5 or 6 weeks - and so as temperatures start to climb next week we expect to see more and more trees begin leafing out.
This is always one of the most exciting times of the year! The Spring show is a delight to the eyes after a long drab winter.
Below you'll find details of our new Japanese maple news channel. Using this new "RSS Channel" we are able to keep you up to date with news even in between our regular newsletters. With a news channel reader you can use it with ther news sites to keep in touch with your favorite topics - like Japanese maples! Sign up for your FREE Channel reader below.
1. Japanese Maple News Channel Launch
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Some of you have told me that the new spam blockers being introduced by internet service providers are also blocking your Japanese Maple Newsletters! Arghh!
Opt-in email newsletters like this one are a legitimate use of email and are compliant with the "Can-Spam" Act. Unfortunately, the bad guys - the spammers - are making it hard to get the good info through.
So, I've come up with a new, even better solution! More and more web sites with information and news are using RSS to publish information to CHANNELS on the web.
Subscribing to media-rich-capable channels is like subscribing to cable television, only better. You decide what information you want to receive, like choosing a channel on television, and it is delivered to your desktop immediately, as soon as the publisher makes it available, whether in straight text, full html, voice, video, or interactive media.
These channels are better than cable, because you do not have to be at your computer to get all the latest news when it is published, it's like having a built-in VCR. If you are not at your computer, or do not have your channel viewer open, you will not miss any information.
The next time you launch your channel viewer, all the news will be there, waiting for you - and only from the channels you choose. No spam!!!!
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Signing up for the Channel Reader is FREE. Go to:
http://quikonnex.com/channel/subscribe/japanesemaple/543
to access our site and download the free Quikonnex reader.
Click on our Channel link or use the "JOIN Q" link to get your own free reader and add us to your favorites list! You'll automatically see when we post new content whenever you open up your channel reader. Get news from other sites with this free reader too.
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2. Larger Size Plants:
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As you know the majority of our business is in seeds, seedlings and young grafted trees sent by mail order.
Shipping larger trees by mail is harder to do and shipping costs begin to rise fast with the extra weight involved.
From time to time we have some larger, more mature trees available that are still economical to pack and ship. Now is one of those rare times!
We have just ONE specimen of each of the following trees in a 3-gallon size we can offer you today. As we are so limited in quantity I'll be accepting offers via phone on a first-come-first-served basis only.
1. Arakawa
Tree is ~36" tall. Arakawa is a green leaf tree chosen for its distinctive bark. Arakawa means 'rough bark'and the tree reaches up to 25 feet tall on maturity. This cultivar also responds to bonsai treatment well and retains its rough bark.
2. Aka shigitatsu sawa
Tree is ~48" tall. This is the red-tinged form of 'Shigitatsu sawa'. When leaves open they show dark veins on a yellow-green background. The entire leaf has overtones of pink and red and the color is held well into summer when green tones appear more strongly. Makes a tall bushy plant up to 12 feet tall and wide. Its name means 'red snipes over a winter marsh'.
Aka shigitatsu sawa
3. Osakazuki
Tree is ~42" tall. A green leaf cultivar known for its striking and intense crimson foliage in fall. Hardy and sturdy, grows up to 24 feet tall making a round-topped shape.
4. Omure yama
Tree is ~24" tall. This is one of the few upright, yet cascading trees. Reaches a height of about 15 feet in 20 years with a canopy spead of about 12-15 feet. Over time,
the pendulous branches become willowy and droop around the perimeter of the tree. Note this is not a dissectum or cut leaf type.
5. Peaches and Cream
Tree is ~40" tall. One of the striking variegated cultivars.
Spring foliage is a cream or green-cream with tinges of red blended in, especially on the tips of the leaf lobes. Retains a pink edge all summer. 'Shigitatsu sawa' was the seed parent with 'Aka shigitatsu sawa' as the pollen parent. Makes a small shrub up to 9 feet tall and wide. This is a somewhat delicate cultivar that needs some shade.
6. Shin deshojo
Tree is ~30" tall. Name indicates it is a new selection from the 'Deshojo' cultivar. This is one of the most brilliantly colored plants. It's red color in Spring is literally fire-engine red or crimson-scarlet. Turns a pleasant reddish-green in mid-summer and makes a shrubby plant up to 9 feet high and 6 feet wide. Also makes a good container plant and is a popular bonsai tree choice.
7. Sango kaku
Tree is ~46" tall. The bright coral pink bark of this tree is its main feature. In winter the tree adds a splash of color in the otherwise drab garden - especially seen against snow. A green leaf form which has a reddish tinge to the leaf in Spring. Makes a tree up to 25 feet tall and broadens at the top to about 18 feet across.
8. Corallinum
Spring foliage is a deep shrimp pink and attracts a lot of attention. Leaves turn green in summer with occasional
flecks of lighter tones. Slow growing making a 10 foot tall tree on maturity. Plant is ~44" tall.
9. Okushimo
A very desirable cultivar with odd shaped leaves, upright growth habit and golden leaves in fall. Leaves naturally curl up and the edges roll over into tube shapes. Makes a great bonsai tree and also is excellent in the landscape because of its upright growth to 25 feet tall. Fall colors are intense yellws and gold shades. Plant is ~42" tall.
10. Mama
Bright green leaves with distinctive look as every leaf is a different shape. Its name means "doing as one pleases" which describes how the leaves look! Has a lacy appearance because of the different leaves. Still rare in nurseries, makes a bush up to 15 feet tall. Fall colors are yellows and oranges. Plant is ~40" tall.
11. Kotomaru
A dwarf green tree. New folaige is yellow with bronze tips and edges. Its name means 'round harp'. Makes a small, dense slow growing bush up to 5 feet tall and wide. Plant is ~42" tall.
These trees will be shipped Priority Mail via USPS.
Price including shipping and handling is $119.97 each.
Call me on 434-825-5048 (Eastern Time) to secure the
tree(s) of your choice. First come, first served.
3. Last Call For Pre-stratified Seeds:
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Seeds are germinating so fast now we're potting them up every day. We will only be able to mail seeds for a few more days before they are all growing on as seedlings. If you've been hesitating about trying seeds - now's your last chance until next season!
These seeds have been in the cooler all winter and are already pre-stratified and ready for immediate planting.
http://japanese-maple.com/seeds.html
Next month we'll be showcasing some of the new cultivars that will be ready for shipping in June, many of which we're offering for the first time!
Thank you for your interest in Japanese maples. We love
writing about and growing these beautiful trees. And we love hearing from you - especially with your success stories with plants you've purchased from us in the past!
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Don't forget to subscribe to our free news channel:
http://quikonnex.com/channel/subscribe/japanesemaple/543
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Happy gardening online and in dirt!
Ken Alston
Commonwealth Plants, LLC
Earlysville, VA 22936
Ph: 434-825-5048
P.S. You can contact me directly using the QMTP feature
in your channel reader after you sign up for the free
channel reader!
P.S. Don't forget our recommended companion plants for
Japanese maples. These are the ONLY line of hand pollinated F1 Hybrid Hellebores in the world. Now growing on in our greenhouse and ready to ship to brighten your early Spring garden: http://japanese-maple.com/helleborus_hybridus.html
