New to bonsai- looking for any recommendations for good North American maples species?

[SilentMouse]

Hi! Very new to bonsai and am looking for a good maple species?

My problem is that I live in Michigan...and have winters routinely getting below zero. I have gardened and learned my lesson not to think for a second I won't have -5F or -10F degrees nights that will kill even things that should do fine in my zone 5b area. My first thought was to grow something that thrives here, but all the common maples here seem to be awful for bonsai from what I have heard: silver and sugar maple leaves don't reduce, and they don't take well to pot culture. So far, red maples seem to be the best bet from all that I've read. Even then, I've seen plenty say North American maples just aren't worth it.

Japanese Maples seem to be the most common maple choice, but everything I have seen so far has said they don't do well below 14F even though they are said to be hardy in my zone.

I really want to do a maple, they are some of my favorite trees and know they would do best if I do something native. I have a tree in my front yard (a silver maple) that will drop seeds sometime this month, and I planned to collect those and plant them (I do know you are going to wait an eternity and a half doing a bonsai from seed, and I'm OK with that).

Would also be good to note I am getting only second-hand experience from what I've read and heard others say. This information could all very well be false and just misunderstood. Please do tell me if that's the case.

Advice? Experiences with North American maples, or with non-native ones that thrive here? Thank you to anyone with some wisdom .

 

[JPfagus]

You have been misled about Japanese maples. Maybe there are certain varieties to avoid in your zone but you sound like you are limiting yourself big time. If you have a garage you can probably overwinter trident maples and Japanese maples and most other cold hardy species. Are there any landscape Japanese maples in surrounding neighborhoods? Hornbeam might be a good species that you could find in the woods around you.

 

[SilentMouse]

I have no garage, but I do have a shed. And any tree I chose will likely be spending its winter there anyways. If a Japanese Maple can do really well in the bitterly cold MI temps, I'd love to give them a shot. It is just I've seen it get into the -20s here on the odd occasion and worry it could just be completely dead in the spring because of just one of those nights. As far as landscape trees, I am not sure. I'll have to pay more attention on walks and such to see if I spy any.

Trident Maples are SO gorgeous. If I could get a hand on one and have it do well here, I'd love that. I'd be interested in any verities you know of either that do particularly well below freezing- that are also relatively easy to get one of?

Lots of hornbeams and pines. Both of which I plan on getting when I find a suitable tree around. Though probably not this late in the spring for this year. Just asking about maple here because they are defiantly one I want to work with but seems nothing native really is all that suitable .

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Closest you'll get to an American Maple Good for Bonsai is an invasive Amur.

Do it!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

9 reasons to love the Arctic Trident....in one inch.

Now if I can only remember when I made that cut! Acer Ginalla. Pics? Discussion? My favorite.... Any pudding with proof to feed naysayers?

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

 

[SilentMouse]

Welcome to Crazy!

Closest you'll get to an American Maple Good for Bonsai is an invasive Amur.

Do it!

Sorce

Yup! Crazy for sure XD.

Hmm. Amur maple. I'll have to see if I can find one. It looks like they can be pretty good! I don't know of any around where I live but I have heard of them around this area I think, and I'm could probably find something.

Maybe it's worth trying a Japanese Maple and finding an Amur as a back up should the winter be to harsh on it?

 

[sorce]

Maybe it's worth trying a Japanese Maple and finding an Amur as a back up should the winter be to harsh on it?

If you're willing to throw a lotta $ at a winter setup that'll garauntee your trees hover above freezing I'd say, sure.

If not....

I'd say the "x", time, money, effort, etc, going into attempting J.Maple equals the energy spent to have you 6 good Amurs.

Use what is around you.

What is around you?

Sorce

 

[SilentMouse]

Yea, a winter set up that's going to keep things just above freezing here would require heaters, and that would be far too much to babysit when it gets as far below freezing here. And as you said, it'd be a nice chunk of cash to run a thing like that for three months of the year at best.

If that's the case, amurs sound like a really good species to look into.

I wish I could say I've seen more than sugar and silver maples around as far as maples go. There are many pines here, and I have plans to use some of those (actually got a white pine today, and might have to make a thread on it). Hornbeams, Beech, and sometimes hemlocks are here, and if I find some suitable, I'd be interested in them. Oaks are another one I see is planted around here a ton, and I hope to get a few of them because people with oak trees are happy to be rid of all the acorns and young plants. I have quite a bit to work with; I'm just hoping to add some maple verity too .

Defiantly will check around for any amur maples I can find?

 

[HorseloverFat]

Welcome to Crazy!

Closest you'll get to an American Maple Good for Bonsai is an invasive Amur.

Do it!

Sorce

Absolutely.. Amurs are fairly close to indestructible when we are talking about frigidity.

They also are almost overbearingly aggressive (invasive, as Sorce said), requiring more maintenance pruning than any other tree I own.

I have ignorantly and with poor timing performed many operations before I knew better... and Maggie (my ginnala), never skipped a beat.

I understand your apprehensions of the cold, as I am similarly located. (you should take a second and update your profile to reflect relative location, so you don’t have to explain your climate every time ) I will also like to direct your attention towards Acer Nigra.. It is by NO means an Ideal candidate ... but not theWORST maple, and they’re tough. Most of the seeds I grew have been producing short internodes and I collected a smaller one last year (it was a seedling THEN) that clearly favors horizontal growth...

Many Maples... A good amount will suite you.

Go “hunting”... we have a large selection of great trees in this part of the world.

Pleasure to make your acquaintance.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have no experience with native maples only because for the last 24 years I haven't been able to keep any. Sugar maples are my favorite native species, but the leaves are really large. I wonder about silver maples?

 

[HorseloverFat]

Sugar maples are my favorite native species, but the leaves are really large. I wonder about silver maples?

Silver’s leaves (around here) fall in the “middle”ish... The Black Maple is a LOT like the Sugar Maple... in fact the Sugar/Norway/Black maple seedlings are near indistinguishable (for me) I had to identify the “mother”

I see a lot of mountain maples here...with growth habit leaning toward shrub, I wonder if they’d be a decent candidates.

People have produced decent-looking Rubrum specimens, too. You are almost always going to run into leaves that are larger than “optimal”.

@SilentMouse , If you can dig it... dig it.. (not literally.... well... i guess that works too)

 

[SilentMouse]

Absolutely.. Amurs are fairly close to indestructible when we are talking about frigidity.

They also are almost overbearingly aggressive (invasive, as Sorce said), requiring more maintenance pruning than any other tree I own.

I have ignorantly and with poor timing performed many operations before I knew better... and Maggie (my ginnala), never skipped a beat.

I understand your apprehensions of the cold, as I am similarly located. (you should take a second and update your profile to reflect relative location, so you don’t have to explain your climate every time ) I will also like to direct your attention towards Acer Nigra.. It is by NO means an Ideal candidate ... but not theWORST maple, and they’re tough. Most of the seeds I grew have been producing short internodes and I collected a smaller one last year (it was a seedling THEN) that clearly favors horizontal growth...

Many Maples... A good amount will suite you.

Go “hunting”... we have a large selection of great trees in this part of the world.

Pleasure to make your acquaintance.

Yup! It looks like Amur maples are coming very highly recommended. So defiantly will be looking for one!

Yea...sometimes you can get a good winter with nice, above zero temps...than you can have one like a few years ago that gets -20F. Ohh, I'll have to look into those too if they have been doing so well.

Thats the plan once. Hiking, just walking around the more forested parks and seeing what I can see or asking others if they have any young trees they want gone.

Very nice to meet you, as well .

 

[Mike Westervelt]

Hedge maple, acer campestre while not native are purportedly hardy to zone 4 and have pretty small leaves and short internodes

 

[HorseloverFat]

Yup! It looks like Amur maples are coming very highly recommended. So defiantly will be looking for one!

Yea...sometimes you can get a good winter with nice, above zero temps...than you can have one like a few years ago that gets -20F. Ohh, I'll have to look into those too if they have been doing so well.

Thats the plan once. Hiking, just walking around the more forested parks and seeing what I can see or asking others if they have any young trees they want gone.

Very nice to meet you, as well .

The city workers in my area are frequently moving/replacing shrubs and other landscape plants, it’s just atter of locating where they “put” them before they are chipped/composted/burned. (They will gladly share this information)

If the parks department is it’s own separate entity where you live, they will be more than happy to give you a call when material is available.. this means THEY don’t have to remove it.

Caretakers at nursing homes/golf courses/cemeteries... same thing.

Landscaping companies.. same thing.

“Friends with land” is probably the best resource.

There is JUST something about collecting from the actual wild, though. DNR has all public land (county,state,federal) and trails all JUST FOR US! They will ALSO have specifications on collection limits and permits for your area.

Also.. consider joining the Arbor day foundation.. you will (if you choose) receive a free native tree-pack of your choice. (It might be too late to get in on this year’s SPRING “ship”, but still an idea) You will also receive VERY agreeable prices from their nursery.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Hedge maple, acer campestre while not native are purportedly hardy to zone 4 and have pretty small leaves and short internodes

Nice! Good call.

 

[sorce]

defiantly

I took a pic of this today....supposed to be Freeman's or Silver/Red hybrid I reckon....

Pretty leaves. Wicked glowing ass leaves.


Sorce

 

[Meh]

Red maple is also hardy to zone 3 and a native species. They have shortcomings for bonsai but there are some great ones out there:

Leafless Red Maple

This is the same tree as was featured in the previous post. I took that picture in leaf, then took a trip, and when I came back it was completely bare. Here’s a winter silhouette, and, since …

crataegus.com

 

[HorseloverFat]

Red maple is also hardy to zone 3 and a native species.

RUBRUM!

 

[River's Edge]

(Acer circinatum ) Known in the Pacific Northwest as Vine Maple! The challenge is getting the leaves smaller over time! Coastal small tree up to 7 metres in nature! Outstanding characteristic is fire engine red leaves in the fall!
This is one of those species that needs to be discovered and used more often to determine just how good it can be! Often confused with (Acer Glabrum ) known as Douglas Maple that has smaller leaves but lack the fall red colour.
Would recommend as a challenge, rather than one definitely suited with small leaves and well documented care guides!
Definitely a candidate for medium to large styling!

 

[SilentMouse]

Yup! I want to collect trees from people who have the growing on their property that don't want or need them. I've looked into signing up with the Arbor Day Foundation and so nearly did it. Seems like a really good resource if collecting isn't an option. Thought thankfully, there's no shortage of that here.

Ohh, all these lovely suggestions! Red Maples (Rubum) in particular I've defiantly seen around. Thank you all for shouting these out to me .

That hybrid looks like it's defiantly got some silver maple in it. I've got a full sized one in the front of my house and the leaves have the very deep, notched lobes I see on the leaves on that maple. Though I've never seen them so red like that! Even in the fall it typically doesn't get red.