Why I Oughta...

One month ago, I posted a 'Getting to Know" post about the Northern Glow Korean Maple and talked about the features of the Korean Maples (More hardy, but look like JMs and can handle sun) vs. their cousins.  I mentioned in that post that I bought the tree and brought it home.  It took me a little bit to figure out exactly where I wanted it to do - backyard, near the patio or....the front yard.   I've posted some front-yard landscaping inspiration in the past and talked about how I can transform from a traditional turf yard to include more beds and conifers.  In some of the photos, they've mixed conifers and Japanese Maples to create a screen of sorts .  I also talked about how I *start* that transformation.  Do I start down by the sidewalk?  Do I eventually want a path through the front yard (yes??) ?    I know that I won't have EVERYTHING to plant at once and the material that I buy is usually small, so it can be awkward to plant things in isolation.   I placed

Over the years, I've come across Korean Maples that are hybrids with Japanese Maples.  Famously, the folks at Iseli Nursery have introduced a collection of "Jack Frost Maples" that are hybrids of Acer palmatums and Acer pseudosieboldaianum - Japanese and Korean Maples - that have been 'evaluated and selected to tolerate the dramatic weather shifts of the upper Midwest of North America.' The upper midwest?  That's us.   So, when I was at The Growing Place and came across an affordable ($174.00) Northern Glow Korean Maple, I figured it was time to come home and go into our garden.  Below is the sign from TGP that calls it a cold-hardy tree that mostly resembles the Japanese Maple parent. And, here below, is a look at the tree that is currently stashed in the island bed by our driveway.   What do people say about the Northern Glow Maple?  iTrees has this listing : Northern Glow® Maple combines the character of a Japanese Maple and the cold hardiness of a Korean