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Japanese Maple Share This on LinkedIn   Tweet This   Forward This

25 April 2023

We were getting in the car when we looked south toward the sun as the bright red leaves of Mom's Japanese maple filtered the bright light. We took out the camera and took a few shots, hoping something would stick.

Japanese Maple. Olympus E-PL1 with 14-42mm II R kit lens at 29mm (58mm equivalent), f9, 1/125 second and ISO 200. Processed in DxO PureRaw 2 and Adobe Camera Raw.

Was it 20 years ago we took Mom to Sloat Garden Center by the beach and each bought two young Japanese maples? Not quite but nearly.

Ours didn't last very long. The winds on the hill beat it senseless and one night some wildlife knocked it over, breaking the trunk. We've always like Japanese maples but we suddenly knew why there were so few in our neighborhood.

Mom's flourished. Her home is at the lowest elevation around here and subject to flooding but protected from the wind and with full sun all morning. The wildlife doesn't much bother the gardens in that neighborhood, although there are possums and skunks and other various varmints.

Over the years we've tended to her Japanese maple, pruning back branches that blocked the neighbor's walk or her garage, but it really hasn't needed much care.

Every time we see it, we think about trying to plant another one at home. Maybe in a pot so we could protect it from the wind and the wildlife.


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