Japanese Acers

Hey I've bought three small acers this year but i've no idea what they are. They're not in prefect health so I'm not sure if identifying them will be that easy.....but here are some pics anyway.

1. It's got very small/fine leaves that get scorched easily. It's also very leggy....so in the summer i tried to support all the branches otherwise they drag along the ground making it look like a climber lol. The colour on the autumn picture doesn't show too well...but it's lots of different pink/reds etc. Very fast growing for an Acer i thought. I thought it might be a tree rather than a dwarf bush like thing.

Summer:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/wahaj17/maple2.jpg

Now:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/wahaj17/maple6.jpg


2. This one's a pretty slow grower but has thicker, tougher leaves. It doesn't mind full sun so much. It's colour didn't seem to change all that much through the year. The new leaves as they appear seem to be a very bright red and are folded up like a fan and droop down....and then open up over time. It did drop all it's leaves in May but when i put it into acidic compost...it came back. It seems to be a pretty slow grower.

Branches:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/wahaj17/maple4.jpg

Leaf Detail:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/wahaj17/maple5.jpg

3. This one's odd and i don't really know how to train it to look nice lol. It's just one single, long stem that has leaves all around it and at the top. I've tried staking it to support the main stem but it still goes where i wants to lol. Do you think I can cut the top off in spring and force it to produce sideshoots?
This one can also get scorched easily as it has thin leaves.

Branch:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/wahaj17/maple1.jpg

Leaf detail:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/wahaj17/maple3.jpg


So yea i'm really after the names of them....and possibly how to look after them.

Thanks

 

The second one could be 'bloodgood'?

 

yea...i looked that up....probably seems so. Though bloodgood is described to have bright red leaves in autumn....where as mine has very deep maroon leaves....hm...

 

First one possibly vitifolium, the dissection on the leaves looks about right. Other one difficult to tell. Wait till the leaves and (Ihope) flowers come out in spring, then you should get a better idea.

WRT training

1 Don't prune them if you don't have to, IMO (and others could well know better) don't prune them except around midsummer, and NEVER prune them close to a node unless you are a brave bunny - they often suffer catastrophic dieback.

2 Maybe take a few stakes and wire and gently train the main branches so they form an attractive shape. This process could take a couple of seasons, so go gently so as not to snap their fairly brittle stems, bend a bit wait a couple of months, bend a bit more, etc.

 

lovely. thanks for the help jazid.

 

Welcome!

 

The second looks to me like p. atropurpureum, and the third, I think, is Brilliantissimum. David.