Japanese Maple 'Shaina' and 'Crimson Queen'

15 years ago

I was thinking about planting one of these, due to it's very pleasing growth habit and beautiful foliage. In my opinion, these are probably two of the best cultivars there are. But, the question is, which one do you think is better?? Also, I'm not sure if you're allowed to ask about trades here, but if someone has one it would be nice to trade for a cutting/seedling this spring. If you're not allowed to talk about trading here, I didn't know and I apologize in advance. Anyways, any thoughts on these two cultivars would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (4)

kaitain4
15 years ago
There are two VERY different plants. Shaina is a dwarf "witches broom" that forms a short, rounded, but upright tree. Crimson Queen has dissected leaves and is weeping.

Shaina is prone to sudden death, so I wouldn't recommend it. Mine did this - it just croaked out of the blue for no reason. Kandy Kitchen is a better variety anyway, and is the recommended substitute. For a red dissectum, Tamukayama or Garnet beat Crimson Queen.
zadal
15 years ago
My experience with Crimson Queen is that it is a very very slow grower compare with Tamukayama. Both retain their color pretty well over the summer in Bay Area.

My Shaina also lags other red maples growth in terms of root developement and sizes. But I like the color it and shape this small tree developed.

Either one I think they are beautiful trees.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
I've never heard of 'Shaina' being more prone to "sudden death" than any other cultivar of JM and I've grown/sold an awful lot of them over the years. "Sudden death", usually in the form of Verticillium wilt or other root rots, can happen to any JM - really, any species of maple - if the plant is overly stressed or if infected by other means. But there is nothing in Shaina's genetic make up that would make this selection more prone to this problem than any other.

And "better" is way too subjective a term to be used in reference to any JM :-) It's what you are looking for as far as appearance/habit and what you want from the tree. I agree that both are quite distinct in appearance but also agree that either is a great tree, but then so are the other several hundred popularly grown and sold varieties! Each has its own appeal.

Since these two are so vastly different in both habit and appearance, what exactly are you looking for in your Japanese maple? Perhaps we can offer some further suggestions. And where in zone 5 are you located?
dawgie
15 years ago
I've got both of these varieties, and as K mentioned they are very different. Crimson Queen is the classic red weeping threadleaf Japanese maple, an old standard that has been around for years. I've had my CQ for about 20 years and it is about 3' tall and 6' wide. It keeps its red color well in the summer heat. Shaina has leaves that are equally red but not as dissected. Its form is very different -- upright, narrow and rather rigid in appearance. It has its place, particularly if you are looking for a narrower JM to fit into limited space.