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PSA: I had to choose between a full sun or a shady spot for my new Japanese maple
I planted a small 'Bloodgood' maple in my yard in Portland last spring. The choice was putting it in a bright spot that got sun all afternoon, or a shadier corner under a big pine tree. I went with the shady spot, thinking it would protect the leaves from burning. Now, a year later, the color is not that deep red I wanted, and it's growing really slow. Has anyone else picked shade for a maple and been let down by the color?
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caleb_thomas931mo ago
Yeah, I did the exact same thing with a coral bark maple a few years back. Put it in what I thought was a safe, filtered light spot, and the thing just sat there, barely putting out any new growth. Guess we both learned the hard way that they need more light to really show off, huh?
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the_thomas28d ago
Wait, @angelar57, you think that's how we treat nice things? I actually see it the opposite way. The fact that it didn't grow much in low light might be the plant telling us what it needs, not us neglecting it. It sat there because it was conserving energy, not because we failed it. I've got a coral bark maple that's finally thriving now that I moved it to morning sun. It didn't die in that shady spot, it just went dormant and stubborn. That's the plant working with what it gets, not breaking down.
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