Autumn Blaze afterthoughts-need advice!

11 years ago

Hi all,
I planted two AB side by side and pondering upon replacing one with Fall Fiesta so that I can have yellow color & red color in the fall. I heard it is the best sugar maple and gives yellow fall color.

Could anyone compare AB and Fall Fiesta in terms of easiness of maintenance, how messy it gets with seeds, diseases, etc.? I'm trying to figure out whether the replacement (only for the color) is worth doing. I live in Ohio (Zone 6). Any recommendation of other trees with yellow fall color is welcomed.

This post was edited by ttonk on Fri, Jan 25, 13 at 17:43

Comments (4)

arktrees
11 years ago
ttonk,
We have both trees now for 5 years. The AB will grow MUCH faster, though the FF grows very nicely for Sugar Maple. The AB is much more soil tolerant than the FF. However if you have suitable soil, the FF has given us no issue. The Sugar Maple is not drought tolerant either, though again, relative to Sugar Maple it does well. Lastly, FF is NOT predominately yellow in fall color. In 2011 ours was a Yellow-Orange and Orange with some Orange-Red, in 2012 it was mostly Red-Orange and Orange. Other years it has been Orange. In our climate it is somewhat variable, but it has never been yellow. For other trees, go post in the "Tree Forum" (which is where I am usually), where you will get variety in ideals.

Arktrees

This post was edited by arktrees on Sat, Jan 26, 13 at 0:47
ja-gardener
11 years ago
I agree with Arktrees. Autumn Blaze will definitely grow faster and be more tolerant of less than optimal soil conditions. I am all for diversity in trees, but as these are both Acer, any disease or insect will probably impact both, so no benefit there. Consider other seasons too, If one tree can be much bigger then the other and your yard will still look good, go for it. If it will look odd, keep the two AB's.

Here is a link that might be useful: When to move plants
Related Professionals
Surprise Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · 70037 Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Owings Mills Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Roosevelt Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Jackson Landscape Contractors · Bristol Landscape Contractors · Wallingford Landscape Contractors · Waterford Landscape Contractors · Kingsburg Landscape Contractors · Vadnais Heights Landscape Contractors · Hueytown Landscape Contractors · Fallbrook Fence Contractors · Meadow Woods Fence Contractors · Van Nuys Fence Contractors · East Palo Alto Fence Contractors
ttonk
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you both for kind answers.

Which cultivar of sugar maple that is comparable to FF or AB in terms of other good qualities would have consistently yellow fall color?

Would it be better if I plant a larger FF? ABs I planted are about 1.5 caliper, 8ft tall. A bit sad looking with their thin, upward-pointing, & asymmetric branches. I don't think I can expect anything spectacular this or next year. Guess it will take at least 5 years to have a good shape and shade? If I plant a sugar maple that is 15 ft tall, then they will balance out, I imagine. But it would be quite costly given that I've already spent some for AB (especially the "planting" part), and large trees are expensive, and they do not warrant larger trees. Maybe I should give it a chance.

By the way, I have a clay soils. I believe it is basic soil, not acidic.

This post was edited by ttonk on Sat, Jan 26, 13 at 2:48
cassdesign70
6 years ago
What did you end up doing ttonk? :) I was going to tell you Green Mountain Sugar Maple. But saw this is from 2013.