Gardener, I seem to remember a few years ago, Herb Gustafson mentioned on the bonsai forum having one or two collected specimens - his book may have more cultural info on this species..

I haven't grown them, but the name 'vine' indicates that you will be doing a lot of pruning to develop ramification, as these leggy species take a concerted effort to reduce their long internodes and develop a good nebari and taper - which may explain the paucity of vine maple bonsai

You could try tying several long saplings together to create instant girth, or twisting the two you already have in an uneven pattern (if still pliable) and in time they will graft together producing an interesting trunkline..

Jack

Interesting idea and helpful info, Jack. Thanks!

I have had them in 2 locations in a Zone 5 garden - one in a protected mini-woodland setting where it did well and one at the edge of a crabapple grove, where it did not do well.

Good luck. They are well worth the try!

K.Berry

I do have a small protected, woodsy area. It's shady, and I keep it watered during the hot, dry Kansas summer. Kerria japonica and Japanese painted fern do well there. They are hardier, but I think the vine maple might do OK there. I'll probably give one a try there and keep the other potted for bonsai.

I am a novice gardener and have a vine maple that once was beautiful and well pruned to one trunk with a great shape. An ice storm did a lot of damage and I thought it was dead. It has grown back, but then I moved and didn't keep the pruning and shaping up (for about 10 years). It now has four trunks and doing quiet well. However, I would like to get the old shape back (one trunk) as I am going to rent and would like the garden to be rejuvinated. I was just wondering if I go ahead and cut it back quiet severly like that if I would kill it???

Do you think Vine Maples are better or more useful than Japanese Maples?