Orange Dream Japanese Maple Planted - July 2026

#21 on my 2026 to-do list was to 'add another ornamental maple' to the garden.  So far, this season, I've planted a pair of them:  a North Wind Korean Maple (to replace the Arctic Jade) and an Alpenglow Korean Maple under the large tree swing.  Both from Iseli Nursery.

Over the years, I've moved towards those Korean Maples. Acer pseudosieboldaianum. They have performed well (aside from the Arctic Jade).  They're more cold-hardy than Acer palmatums or Acer shirasawanum or Acer japonicum.

But, the pull of the traditional Japanese Maples is still strong.  When I came across an Orange Dream Japanese Maple that was priced...ummm....right, I brought it home.  

Also note...I still think about the full-moon maples like this one, too. 

Below are a few photos showing the foliage, the tree form and where I planted it (in the back edge of the "Kitchen Curved" bed).

The leaves in Summer are green with red(ish) stems:

The tree has a low-graft and is about four-feet-tall.  

A bit further back in the "kitchen curved" bed has a hole.  Right in front of one of the Snow Queen Oakleaf Hydrangeas (that was destroyed by Rabbits, but is on the comeback thanks to - I think - the chicken wire perimeter fence).  

Here, below, is the tree planted.  When it was in the container, the trunk was buried a few inches.  I removed all of that soil to try to get back closer to the root-flare.  

Below is a wider-view of the planting.  The three Green Gem Boxwoods from 2021 are in the bottom right of the photo.  The Tuff Stuff and Everlasting Revolution Mountain Hydrangeas are in the middle of the photo.  

That's three Ornamental Maples planted.  Vs. the "one" that I wanted on my 2026 to-do list.  I'd say that's a win.

Now, on to the tree-planting scoreboard:

2026 is our tenth tree-planting season. Overall, I've planted 111 trees on our property.

Before I did the "dead tree cleanup" yesterday, I was claiming 75 trees alive. But, that was inaccurate. 

Now, the number is 63 trees. 63/111 alive after ten seasons.

111 trees planted/10 growing seasons = 11.1 trees on average planted each season
63 trees alive/111 trees planted = 56.7% success rate on trees
63/trees live/10 growing seasons = 6.3 trees survive on average survive each season.

Here's the full accounting:

2017 (9 planted. 5 Dead. 4 alive):
1. Flowering Pear in backyard on north side.
2. Flowering Pear in front yard by garage. (LOST and replaced)
3. Japanese flowering cherry.  Lost in 2023.  Could be the Walnut tree that took it.
4 and 5: 2 Lindens that I espalier'd and placed by the south fence line near our kitchen windows.
6. A Dawn Redwood from Earth Day 2017 (LOST and replaced)
7. Nat's Saucer Magnolia in our front yard
8. A Corkscrew Willow all the way in the back (LOST)
9. A Crimson King Norway Maple near the trampoline

2018 (17 planted. 6 Dead.  11 alive):
10. Another flowering pear from Earth Day 2018
11. Red Maple Sun Valley tree from Earth Day 2018.
12. Weeping Cedar tree - our first evergreen.  (LOST)
13. The weeping flowering cherry tree that the Babe planted for Earth Day 2018.
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. These Frans Fontaine Hornbeams. 
22. A replacement Chanticleer Pear tree (3" caliper) out front by our garage
23. Our second evergreen - a short Fraser Fir Christmas Tree out by the trampoline. (LOST)
24. This Canadian Hemlock that is the first of nine that our landscape plan calls for in the backyard. (LOST)
25. Our replanted/replacement Dawn Redwood. Same spot as the first.
26. This teeny-tiny Bald Cypress that I planted in the front yard, in between our driveway and our neighbor to the north.

2019 (9 planted.  7 Dead, 2 Alive):

27, 28, 29.  A set of three small Canadian Hemlock Trees in our far backyard. (Two Lost)

30, 31, 32.  This second set of three small Canadian Hemlocks along the north fence line. (One Lost)
33.  My new Weeping White Spruce that will only grow about 4' wide placed near the fence line alongside the espalier'd Lindens.
34.  A NEW Dwarf Alberta Spruce planted near the south fence line.  Our first "dwarf" tree.
35.  This new Hakuro Nishiki Willow (Dappled Willow) tree planted close to the flowering cherry on the southside.  LOST - October 2020.

2020 (17 planted and 10 Dead, 7 Alive):

36.  A small Chanticleer flowering pear on Earth Day 2020 outside our screened porch.

37.  A very thin Lombardy Poplar tree - columnar form - in the way back wood chip area.  LOST - July 2020.
38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45.  These apple trees in a Belgian Fence espalier.
46.  A small Northern Red Oak tree - our first Oak tree planted.
47.  A 'decapitated' Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud that I planted on a whim.
48.  A replacement (from the nursery) Lavender Twist Redbud planted close to the brother.
49.  A tall(ish) London Plane tree that suffered some transplant and frost shock, but seemed to recover. 

50.  Our second contorted tree - this one inspired by Disneyland Paris: a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick tree.

51.  Our third contorted tree - but one that checks A LOT of boxes.  Deciduous conifer.  Weeping.  Contorted.  Japanese.  Planted behind the front Maple - the Horstmann's Recursive Weeping Contorted Larch.  LOST - Aug 2020.

52.  Via the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale - a columnar tree from Japan - the Red Fox Katsura Tree that I planted as an understory tree to the dying Chanticleer Pear Tree next to our driveway. 

2021 (16 planted and 6 Dead, 10 Alive):

53.  A tiny bareroot Shagbark Hickory from the Benet Academy Environmental Club planted in the backyard.   LOST - May 2023

54.  Our first Japanese Maple - a dwarf Tamukeyama Maple planted in the south backyard bed.  LOST - May 2023

55.  A large Weeping Nootka Falsecypress from Wannemaker's planted in the new bed on the northside. 

56.  A long-sought-after Emperor I Japanese Maple - our second Japanese Maple - that is now planted on the border near our new-to-be-created fire pit area in the backyard. 

57.  A Harvest Gold Hargozam Crabapple tree in our Belgian Fence (replacement)

58.  Another Harvest Gold Hargozam Crabpple tree in the middle of our Belgian Fence.

59.  A dwarf Japanese White Pine - Pinus Parviflora Nana (or perhaps something else).  LOST 2022.

60. and 61.  A pair of Malus 'Sutyzam' (Sugar Tyme) Crabapple trees on the southside of our house in pre-espalier form.

62.  A tiny, injured (cracked in half) Ginko tree that arrived via online nursery.  

63.  A short Chinquapin Oak tree from a fundraiser planted in our backyard. 

64.  A second, tiny Ginko tree - this was a replacement for #62 - planted 'ib2dw'.

65.  A small - and ALL Green - Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) planted in front of the back Yews.

66. 67. 68.  A trio of London Planetree 'Bloodgood' trees that are planted along the fence that I'm going to attempt to pleach.

2022 (9 planted. 3 Dead and 6 alive):

69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. Six Green Giant Thujas trees planted as an upright evergreen layer in the backyard. Thuja standishii plicata. TWO LOST.  May 2023.

75. A small Saratoga Ginko tree planted in our front yard by the front walk.

76.  A London Planetree Exclamation planted in our parkway.  A bandit tree of sorts.  LOST in 2025.

77.  The largest tree - 3.5" caliper - we've ever planted. A Triumph Elm - Ulmus 'Morton Glossy' as a replacement for the large Norway Maple tree in our front yard. 

2023 (21 planted1 10 Dead, 11 alive):

78. Small, Columnar Scotch Pine from Home Depot in early Spring 2023. Lost in October of 2023.
79 and 80. Dwarf "witches broom" Ginkgo trees - Spring Grove - planted on either side of our back stoop.
81. A (very small) Acer palmatum Emperor 1 Japanese Maple planted in the kitchen window bed by the row of Astilbes.
82. A low-grafted Waterfall Japanese Maple tree - Acer palmatum dissectum 'Waterfall'.
83. A small, but upright red lace-leaf Japanese Maple - Unknown variety planted amongst the hostas on the north side understory bed.  LOST - May 2024. 
84. The first of three trees from Mr. Maple - a one-gallon Acer palmatum 'Firefly' that is planted in the Understory garden in back.
85. The second of three trees from Mr. Maple - another one-gallon Japanese Maple: Acer palmatum 'First Ghost' back by the firepit.
86. The third tree from Mr. Maple - an upright green dissectum Japanese maple that I planted near the failing (in decline) Japanese Cherry Tree.
87. Silver Maple Volunteer Seedling in Kitchen Window Border, behind the Astilbes. REMOVED
88. A high-grafted (5#) Acer palmatum Inaba Shadire planted by the wine barrel water spitter in the backyard.
89. This two-year-old Northern Catalpa volunteer that is on the corner of our patio.
90 and 91: A pair of Kousa Dogwood Trees planted to espalier against garage sidewall.

92. A dwarf conifer tree: Baby Blue Spruce - planted IB2DWs near the sidewalk.
93. A Weeping Norway Spruce 'Pendula' planted IB2DWs - west of the Bald Cypress.
94. A second Weeping Norway Spruce - in my new "Conifer Garden". IB2DWs extended.
95. A narrow, upright conifer tree - Montrose Charm White Spruce in the 'Conifer Garden' IB2DWs.
96. The 2nd Baby Blue Spruce tree planted IB2DWs in the new 'Conifer Garden' closer to the Bald Cypress.
97. A 3rd Baby Blue Spruce tree planted in back by the Lindens - viewable from the Kitchen.
98. I'm calling it a tree (not a shrub) - a Royal Purple Smoke Tree planted IB2Dws.

2024 (5 planted. 5 Alive):

99.  A third Emperor 1 Japanese Maple - from the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale.  Planted in the understory garden where a previous JM was pulled.  

100.  My Centennial Tree:  A Northern Glow Korean Maple tree.  Planted in a new island bed in our front yard.  My 11th Japanese Maple overall.  

101.  A dwarf Ginko - Spring Grove Ginkgo.  The third of these small trees, but the first in our front yard.  Planted in the Island Bed near the sidewalk.  

102.  A semi-dwarf, upright conifer: Oregon Green Austrian Pine.  Planted in the front yard - between the porch bed and the Saucer Magnolia - along the south property line.  Full Sun.

103.  A small, container-grown Skylands Oriental Spruce planted in the (expanded) front-yard Island Bed.  

2025 (5 planted, 1 Dead and 4 alive):

104.   A small caliper Black Tupelo tree in the parkway.  Replaced lost London Planetree.

105, 106, 107.  Three small two-gallon Wichita Blue Juniper trees.  In the new bed west of the pizza oven.  

108.  An Arctic Jade Korean Maple (hybrid) planted in the backyard, amongst some Japanese-inspired garden plantings.  

2026 (3 planted and 3 alive):

109.  An Alpenglow Korean Maple from the Jack Frost Collection in the backyard peeking out from behind the Tree Swing tree.  

110.  North Wind Korean Maple as a replacement for the Arctic Jade. 

111.  Orange Dream Japanese Maple planted in the Kitchen Curved Bed in back.