Lake and his wife, Judy, specialize in Japanese maples and at peak season carry as many as 150 choices. Lake says currently there are about 1,000 Japanese maple cultivars, with more than 600 of them commercially available. Twenty years ago, he adds, there were 150 with about 40 available to gardeners. Planted in a container or in the ground, Japanese maples are a visual feast with year-round beauty even in winter, when attractive branching and handsome, variegated bark strike leafless poses. Spring through fall, Japanese maples are splashes of red, purple, orange, gold, green and cream.
Several cultivars change colors two or three times a season.
Often the most vivid color is in spring, with a slightly less-spectacular showing in fall. People get started with one, then they get an interest in another. But mostly it's just the beauty of the tree. Ken Brizzi, merchandizing manager for Capital Nursery, agrees that collectors are seeking unusual Japanese maples. People are looking to expand their collections.