In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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May 06, 2008

Red Japanese maples need sun

Q: I have 2 ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maples in pots on my patio. They’re five to seven years old. The problem is they no longer stay red. The new growth is red, but then as the leaves mature they turn green and stay that way until fall. Is there anything I can give them to get their color back?
Laura, Antelope

A: Bloodgood (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’) is one of the most popular Japanese maples, and prized for its red color. The plant normally keeps its red color all summer. Its foliage turns to bright crimson in the fall. In the ground it grows to about 20 feet tall and as wide. It can take a lot of sun, though probably likes a bit of light shade.

I called Chris Aycock of El Dorado Nursery in Shingle Springs for an answer. Aycock is a dedicated Japanese maple aficionado.

As soon as I mentioned the maples were losing their red color, Aycock wondered how much sun they were getting. People assume Japanese maples need a lot of shade, he says, but for Bloodgood to keep its beautiful red color all during the growing season, it needs sun.

Since the maples are in pots, perhaps it’s possible to put them on pot stands with rollers and pull them out into the sun.

Aycock also says maples in pots often lose their color during summer months, and speculates it’s because potted plants are watered and fertilized more often than ones in the ground, so the plants spend more time actively growing.

“But the biggest thing is people think they can’t take the sun. They can,” he says.

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