‘Tamukeyama’ Japanese Maple
The ‘Tamukeyama’ Japanese Maple is my personal favorite of all the Japanese Maples. It is a thread-leaf Japanese Maple that holds up well with our Texas heat and humidity. (Thread-leaf as it has ferny finger like divisions /lobes of the leaf).
It has a weeping mounding form which makes it stand out as a beautiful accent or specimen in your garden. The ‘Tamukeyama’ will have darker burgundy colored leaves spring thru fall that will turn scarlet red in the cooler temperatures/late fall.
This variety grows a little bit faster than some of the other Japanese Maples. For optimum success pick your spot, have proper soil and make sure to give it a nice shady spot.
Quick Care Guide: Choosing the Perfect Spot
For the best results with your ‘Tamukeyama’ Japanese Maple in the Austin, Texas climate, keep these three factors in mind:
Sun: Provide filtered morning sun and mandatory afternoon shade to protect the foliage from extreme heat.
Soil: Use high-quality landscape soil; if your ground soil is poor and cannot be amended, these trees perform excellently in large containers.
Water: Establish a regular irrigation schedule, as these specimen trees require consistent moisture to thrive.
Bonus Tip: Enhance your garden’s nighttime appeal by uplighting your Japanese Maple to highlight its unique weeping form.
Companion Plants
There are lots of companion plants to choose from. The Plum Yew look beautiful, planted underneath the Maples and are an excellent choice. The colors of the Japanese Maples contrast nicely with the dark green foliage of the Yews. The Plum Yew, Cephalotaxus, are a low growing evergreen shrub that have branching limbs with thin deep green leaves.
The Ligularia is another popular choice planted alongside the Japanese Maples. The Ligularia are evergreen and have large round leaves with bloom yellow daisy like flowers.
These do well in Austin Texas gardens and are easy to maintain. They might look like they like a lot of water but they actually prefer to stay on the drier side. Make sure to use a well draining soil when planting these and give them at least a half day afternoon shade if not all day.
Japanese Maple ‘Emperor One’
Wanting a bit more height? The ‘Emperor One’ Japanese Maple is another option. This spectacular tree would love to be in a shade garden or shaded landscape. It is overall a larger more upright tree as opposed to the weeping habit of the ‘Tamukeyama’.
The ‘Emperor One’ has colorful burgundy foliage that will turn bright red in the cooler months as we approach fall. It can reach heights of up to 12-15 feet. Like the ‘Tamukeyama’ it requires well draining soil and will need regular water.
Want to learn more about Japanese Maples? Watch our YouTube video on the Japanese Maples. We go around Austin, Tx and look at different Japanese Maples installed all over town. We feature some in the landscapes as well as planted on the city streets here in Austin.
