The Maple Society
For everyone with an interest in Japanese maples. An informative quarterly newsletter, a seed distribution list and a programme of talks and visits are among the many benefits of joining. An application form for membership can be obtained from: P.R.B. Brooks, White Owl Cottage, Trerulefoot, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 5DA
Alternatively, a membership form can be downloaded from their website at
www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/maplesociety
JapanGarden
Offering only the finest high quality and authentic Japanese products available. A comprehensive range of everything for the Japanese influenced garden and home and highly recommended.
www.japangarden.co.uk
PlantMall
A wide ranging catalogue of nurseries, societies and horticultural sites.
www.plantmall.co.uk
Grow
A comprehensive database covering gardening, retail and wholesale suppliers and the landscape industry.
www.grow.co.uk
Debbys Garden Links
A very catholic range of links that touches on all aspects of gardening and well worth visiting.
www.debbysgardenlinks.co.uk
The following two Japanese sites have a wealth of information in English on maples and Japanese plants in general. There are also numerous links that with a few clicks will take you deep into everything Japanese. Don't worry if your Kanji is a little rusty; just dive in and prepare to be amazed by sites you didn't know even existed!
Maples and Japanese culture
A site owned by Hajime Hayasida covering not only Japanese maple species and cultivars but the genus as a whole. Also included are excellent illustrations of maples in the wild as well as spectacular autumn colour scenes.
http://homepage2.nifty.com/chigyoraku/Etop11.html
Plants and Japan
An introduction to plants in Japan covering subjects as diverse as native orchids, bonsai and camellias, temple gardens and traditional garden design, parks and private gardens and much more. A highly recommended site from Masuchi Yamaguchi.
http://homepage3.nifty.com/plantsandjapan/index.html
Designing and creating a Japanese garden
Information covering the different styles and types of garden and how to easily achieve the tranquility that comes with observing an authentic design can be found below.
Your Japanese Garden
Growing Japanese maples from seed
All the information you need to grow maples from seed plus how to inexpensively produce many other types of plant.
www.freeplants.com
Japanese maples as bonsai plants
For gardeners that would like to grow Japanese maples as bonsai trees, this illustrated guide is an ideal starting point.
Bonsai Gardening Secrets
Improving your soil
Although Japanese maples will put up with the vast majority of soil types, it's always in the long-term interests of your Japanese maple's wellbeing to improve it as much as possible. The following site will give you all the information you need to achieve the ideal soil.
World's Best Compost
Hydroponic growing
The rules for growing Japanese maples in containers are quite simple: perfect drainage and constant moisture. Although they will tolerate less than ideal conditions, many gardeners struggle with less than happy plants. An alternative and little known option is to grow them hydroponically; the principles of hydroponic cultivation ensure that a perfect state is achieved by default. For more information on hydroponic cultivation and how it can be applied to not only Japanese maples but a huge range of plants, click on the banner below.
Grab - O - Saurus
The lifting device of the future - designed to expedite and simplify waste collection from ground level.
 The versatile Grab-O-Saurus will liberate operators and streamline the tidying and cleaning tasks traditionally associated with hard work, bending and even injury. It is a world leader and the ultimate collection device.
This internationally patented new aid is revolutionary, rendering obsolete many of the chores formerly requiring bent backs while shovelling and scooping unwanted waste. The careful engineering in its design allows the Grab-O-Saurus to work on any surface and to collect a vast range of diverse waste matter because, uniquely, it grabs from above. Now you can clean up while standing. Never before has there been an invention which covers every normal need in one simple, manual tool.
The Grab-O-Saurus, manufactured in easy-clean polypropylene, is robust yet lightweight. Due to its manifold operating qualities, it can be worked by anybody from 9 to 90 and it is time saving as a bonus. For added strength, it has reinforced teeth, it is recyclable, it is affordable and it is, just simply, brilliant!
Smarter Products - click here to take a look around
The Able Gardener
A site that provides tools and other aids for making gardening easier.
Grow your own truffles!
I couldn't resist adding this site. Judging by the conversations I have at flower shows, most people garden on soil that's not immediately obvious will support Japanese maples but is ideal for growing truffles. The only other requirement is patience!
Viable commercial plantations have been established in Yorkshire and in Australia about fifty plantations have been established in Tasmania, where the first crop was harvested in 1999, New South Wales and Victoria. Plantations in the Southern Highlands, south east of Sydney and incidentally, an area that contains a number of maple nurseries, have produced their first harvest after five years on trees that are still only a few feet high.
Most gardens probably have room for a few hazel trees, one of the preferred hosts, and the thought that a fungus that sells for in excess of £1000 per kilo is quietly growing away in your soil is enticing to say the least!
Natural pesticides and plant care treatments
The use of chemicals should be avoided where possible as there are natural treatments that work as well, if not better, than their chemical equivalents and furthermore, carry no health risk. For gardeners in the USA, Gardens Alive offers controls for Japanese beetles, vine weevils, aphids, Neem oil fungicide and a host of other useful products.
Gardening Express
A massive range of products including a good range of Japanese maples with inclusive delivery and highly competetive pricing. This site is well worth a visit whatever your needs.
The leading UK online gardening store
A huge range of products with something for every gardener.
Bradshaws Direct
A Japanese maple and water is the perfect combination of two striking garden elements; nothing looks more satisfying than a maple gracefully cascading over a pond. All the ideas you need to make your vision a reality can be found on the site below.
The Gardeners Supply Company
For gardeners in the USA, this site has a huge choice of everything related to gardening.
 
Harness the power of nature to grow better plants
For the past ten years I have focused on growing everything using only natural products such as compost tea fertilisers, beneficial fungi to eliminate soil-borne diseases and nitrogen fixing bacteria. Until recently, most of the technology has only been available to commercial growers but the following site is an Aladdins Cave of natural products that will benefit whatever you grow. Unfortunately, they can only supply gardeners in the USA and Canada, but I'm working on sourcing suitable products for UK gardeners.
Companion plants for Japanese maples
Japanese maples are not particularly aggresive plants, so their root systems can have a difficult time competing for moisture and nutrients. As they ideally need their own space, that means large expanses of bare soil which leads to the temptation of inappropriate in-filling. The alternative is to use dwarf bulbs and perennials such as Crocus and Liriope, ground cover and mat forming plants and Cyclamen, especially Hederifolium. The following sites all offer an excellent range of plants for gardeners in the USA that will grow happily in conjunction with your Japanese maples.
UK gardeners can find a range, as mentioned above, of suitable plants at Crocus. They also have Japanese maples and an excellent range of gardening related products.
Two Wests & Elliot
The biggest and best range of greenhouses and gardening equipment available. Although Japanese maples are extremely hardy, they appreciate some protection when young and if you want to grow your own maples from seed, a protected environment is essential or the rabbits win!
HOME ORDERING CULTIVARS GROWING TIPS LINKS
|
