Episode: South Korea

Presenter: Melissa King

On of the best things about travelling is coming home with that picture in your head with something you just have to implement in your garden. Melissa couldn?t help but be inspired by the maples in the Garden of Morning Calm.

Japanese Maples are renowned for their elegant appearance and they really are the show piece of cool climate gardens. They are at their best in areas with cool autumns and frosts to promote brilliant foliage colour.

You will love the Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum ?Sango Kaku?) with the apricot yellow autumn foliage and young branches that grow pink.

The Purple Leaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ?Atropurpeum?) is another stunner with rich crimson red foliage in spring and autumn and pretty bronze green leaves during the summer.

Among the lacey leafed dissectum types, you cant beat Dissectum Seiryu (Acer palmatum, Dissectum Group ?Seirya?) for its striking gold crimson colour in autumn.

If you have a small garden then it is definitely worth getting to know the striking weeping varieties.

Compact varieties like red pygmy are perfect with big, sexy oriental style pots on your patio or balcony.

Maples are mostly shallow rooted and even mature specimens benefit from regular water so you want to use a potting mix like Yates Thrive Premium Potting Mix that also contains a wetting agent. Make sure that the water you are applying has a chance to soak right into that root ball.

Also mix in come Yates Water Storage Crystals to provide a backup for when things can get a bit dry.

The key to growing maples is to choose a slightly shaded sight with shelter from wind and hot sun which can scorch the delicate leaves.

A Japanese maples best friend would have to be Yates Stressguard. Apply a film to the foliage and it protects it from heat, water loss and drying winds and this can actually help reduce water usage by up to 50%.

In our drying climate, it means that the potted pleasures are off to a great start.

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Waterwise Water Storage Crystals

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Yates Stressguard ? Ready To Use

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• Product is biodegradable and the protective film stretches up to 100% with leaf growth and lasts for up to 90 days.  Ideal for reducing frost damage.