Late Summer Growth on Northern Glow Korean Maple Tree - Front Yard - September 2024

Back on July First, I posted the details of a new (to me) Northern Glow Korean Maple tree that I planted in our front yard in a newly created island bed.  I tucked it in next to our third Spring Grove dwarf Ginkgo tree.  Planting a new tree in the middle of the summer Summer is always a risk - with the heat and drought conditions that usually occur around here in Zone 6a/5b.   But, I learned last year that some shade cloth (50%) is a pretty good path towards helping young, dwarf trees get established during the heat of July and August.  So, that's what I did:  I put up a shade cloth covering both the Ginkgo and the Northern Glow Korean Maple. 

With the cloth down at the end of August, I've begun to provide supplemental water to both of these small trees.  And, what I'm seeing on the Maple is a surprise (to me):  new, late-Summer foliage growth.  There are a handful of new buds that have emerged on some of the tips of the tree and some new leaves are beginning to unfurl.  See below for one of these new, white leaves that will soon open up to be fan-shaped and green:

The Northern Glow Korean Maple is billed to be more hardy than its Japanese Maple cousins and can handle more sun than most of the Japanese Maples, too.  This tree is protected from the sun until mid-day, then gets about 4 hours of sun before the sun hides behind the roof of our house.  

As I mentioned when I planted this tree, I created the kidney-shaped island bed with intentions of the bed reaching out in two directions - towards the driveway and towards the sidewalk.  I've begun to save some of the cardboard boxes from the recycling bin because I'm thinking that the time is near to stretch out this bed.  There's only about two feet of turf between the current bed and the driveway.  But, there's probably six-feet-or-so in front of the bed towards the sidewalk.  

Once I get enough cardboard saved up, I'll cut the turf down low, lay the cardboard down and apply a layer of biosolids (municipal biosolids) on top.  Then, I'll get some mulch - either from the big box store or...if possible....as part of my hardwood delivery.   I'll then put the bed to sleep for the year and, hopefully, come Spring...have a spot that we can fill with annuals and perennials and some, well....conifers.