Amur Maple Resource(s)?

[jasonpg]

I have an Amur Maple stump that has been left to grow basically wild for the past 2 seasons. It's been hedge trimmed (yikes!) to keep a basic shape, but when the leaves come off, the branches are a mess.

I've read a lot about Trident Maples, and how they are defoliated to encourage ramification. Are there articles/resources on how to treat an Amur Maple?

I'm a beginner when it comes to deciduous material, and I could use guidance on how to work with the leaves in the Spring ... no more hedge trimming it!

 

[Lars Grimm]

I don't know of any Amur Maple specific resources that are extensive. The styling of an Amur maple is usually a bit different than Trident as they are often less refined and may include some carved deadwood. Walter Pall has a number of great examples and @MACH5 has a few nice examples as well. If you search the forum there are a few longitudinal time lapses to give you some idea.

 

[MACH5]

Lars is right. As far as I know there is no known resource to illustrate in detail the development of amur maples.

They tend to look coarser and not as finely refined as other maples such as A. palmatum or A. buergerianum. So when working with them I would have that in mind and plan your design accordingly. I like their somewhat more wild and rugged look. You can defoliate them with no issues and leaves can be reduced quite a bit. They have absolutely stunning autumn color although it is very short lived. An extremely tough maple that needs little winter protection and care is simple and straight forward with no special requirements. They are very vigorous and can be developed fairly quickly from raw material.

In my experience it has been tough to find these trees with good nebari. So if you locate one with a good one buy it! Rockm, who is an experienced member here also, has a few I believe. My understanding from him is that when they are chopped, they can suffer significant dieback. I have not experienced that myself but certainly worth the caution here. As Lars mentioned, Walter Pall has some exemplary amur bonsai that are a great source of inspiration for anyone.

I highly recommend them for bonsai and wish people would make more use of them. You don't see many around at least in the US.

Below is one of mine in autumn as well as in its winter silhouette.