I'd say you are on to something about it being too plain. I don't have one yet, but everything I've heard about it has been great. Likely its green summer color turns most people off, and its leaf shape is not that unusual like other common cultivars.

If I'm not mistaken it is a medium grower; not so much that it gets leggy like 'sango kaku' or something, but fast enough to get some height in a reasonable amount of time.

I really like the idea of the three tree combo of 'osakuzuki', 'ichygyoji', and 'hogyoku'. Each being quite similar in the summer in leaf shape, habit, color, etc., but all flaring up with brilliant but different colors in the fall (ichygyoji being on the golden side with hogyoku being in the oranges I think).

It's not the slightest bit uncommon or rare here - in fact, next to Sango Kaku, it is the upright J. maple we sell the most of at my nursery. It is extremely popular for its good size, growth habit and astounding fall color. We get hordes of folks in in fall looking for it, unfortunately when stock tends to be rather low and we have sold most of them.

'Osakazuki' in full fall finery is a show stopper!

I've yet to see one down in my neck of the woods; I know we don't have any at our nursery (and we have about 50 varieties right now)

Does this look like a good 'Osakazuki'? It is over 6 feet tall if stretched out but is very leggy, not very strong. Does it need to be trimmed at the top to build up strength and caliper? It's just stuck in a temporary spot behind the garage.

{{gwi:1036546}}

I don't often say this about trees especially some elses but lets say if it was MY tree I would bluntly say it looks pretty pathetic ...I am not real familiar with 'Osakazuki' but for any jm it seems in need of work ...I would move it to your better more permanant location leave it there for a season and then in late fall try to shape it a bit ...maybe take some of the center clutter out so it stretches out a bit and take off some of the lower stuff. I personally hardly ever prune my trees and just let them grow naturally except when I get dead branches ...but I must say my rule doesn't apply here ...It looks like the grower juiced it up a bit to get some size leaving a spindly twiggy tree ...not horrible by any means and it does look healthy ...a plus...and it may grow out of it naturally but I'd do as above if it were me but that is your choice ... David

I bought this 'Osakuzuki' from Fantasticplants.com. this year. It has four thin upper long branches and thats it. They bend down easily with wind and rain. A few lower branches I would cut off. I don't like the idea of topping the upper branches but the tallest is so flimsy it could fall to the ground in the rain. The leaves are suffering some from travel, I thought the two day travel would not be so bad.

Maybe not a good purchase.

To me it seems like exellent purchase. I love multitrunk maples and I would carefully bend branches sideways and same time give tree nice character. Stakes, ropes, vire, sticks between trunks, etc. Just be careful not making serious damage to bark when they thicken.

Now when it already have leaves I would not remove branches because they grow thickness to the three base which looks good. Removed 1/4 inch branch calluses usually in an year after removal and the scar becomes unvisible in two or three.