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Japanese Gardens

Alternative to Japanese Maple

14 years ago

I've got a modern house outside of Chicago, and I'd like to make my landscape modern as well (not prairie). My first idea is a Japanese Maple, but the site for it has unrelenting afternoon sun -- a straight West exposure. I also thought pagoda dogwood, but I believe that's a shade tree. And Nandina isn't meant for zone 5. Any ideas? I really like horizontal branching and a lacy look. I have some Viburnum mariesii, but I don't think they'd get tall enough. I need 8-15'.

Thanks for any help!

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Comments (2)

Carole Westgaard
14 years ago
I also live in Chicagoland and after losing three Japanese Maples to the northwest wind, I tried Sambuca both 'Sutherland Gold' and 'Black Lace'. Sutherland is now four years old and ten feet high - Black Lace is two years old and I've kept that one shorter and shrubbier because I need the shade in that spot for hosta. They are actually giant shrubs but I've been pruning the heck out of them and they're gorgeous - look just like JM's.

Westy
wwangatwork
14 years ago
Maybe it's the wind or something else, but I have multiple Japanese maples in sunrise til about 7pm sunlight here in Virginia. Once they got established, there's hardly been any scalding on the leaves.

Warren
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