A wise man once proclaimed, gardening is like investing.  Who was this wise man you ask?  Well actually it was our very own Bill Eagleson while talking to a client.  Though to him this statement was simple, obvious really, to me it spoke much louder then the four words it contains.  Like so many things in life the more you put in, the more you will get out of it.  Will there be loses along the way?  Sure there will, sometimes big ones, but in the end you will  more than likely end up in the black and will be the proud owner of a beautiful landscape.  Gardening, like investing, is simple at its core.  The biggest hurdle is practice.  You have to fail a few times, study a little more and push past that last troublesome issue that keeps holding you down.  I’m not saying to just throw caution to the wind and blindly pursue your green thumb of plantitude!  There are wonderful resources all around you, including Eagleson Landscape Co. to help get you on your feet!  I am feeling especially inspired this week, if that was not already painfully obvious, because I am very excited for this weeks plant of the week!  I will bloviate no further, lets delve into our next plant, the Japanese maple or Acer palmatum!

Truly a favorite of Eagleson Landscape Co. our personal garden has twenty-four specimen nestled among our landscape!  Great accents to a garden, Japanese maples have incredibly ornate branching, beautiful leaves and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  A versatile tree in the landscape, the many varieties of Japanese maple provide you with options for designs that many other trees can not.  Provide this tree with moist soil, partial shade and protect it from late spring frosts and harsh winds.  The tree will happily grow and impress in your garden when taken care of properly.  We personally recommend buying Japanese maples with some size to them.  Buy a plant that shows character and adds something to the landscape immediately.  The larger plant will be stronger and will adapt to your garden easier.  Like all new plants make sure to keep the tree watered, avoiding directly wetting the leaves, and love it like a child!

I could write a term paper about my love for Japanese maples, please go to these websites(here and here and here) and research more about them if you are interested in this magnificent tree!  Here is a good overview of proper pruning techniques as well!  Thanks for reading!