Japanese Maple 10 (Acer palmatum)
Informal upright/Slant

September 18, 2022. Last spring (2021) I took this one to John Walker and he helped me repot it. He also had some inoculated moss that we sprinkled on the soil after it was done. This year it looked great when it started to leaf out, and the moss really took hold. I then took it to the club meeting two weeks before the show in May and got some help in reducing a couple of the pads. This was the only tree in the show to get an Honorable Mention. I couldn’t have been more surprised and happy. Thank you, Bobby. The only thing that concerns me is the leaf color. It seems to have reverted to a green leaf. One of the things that completely attracted me was the delicate leaf shade — sort of a salmon/gold, not-green hue. But now it’s just green! I NEED TO WORK ON THIS.

July 3, 2020. This was one of Bobby Popwell’s trees. Bobby died in April 2019, and Dianne kept most of his trees alive after his death. This week, I think largely at the insistence of Bobby’s sons, most of the surviving trees were given to the ABS. I helped relocate, inventory, and evaluate them this morning. The plan is to offer them to ABS members and ask that the recipient make a small donation to the club for the gift. There’s no way for the club to actually own trees, with no place to keep them at this time.

I looked at this tree when we went over to talk with the middle son and Dianne Sunday, then this morning I decided it was what I wanted for my collection. There’s been a little damage, some branches have died, but I don’t have anything like it on my bench. I think I “needed” it? Anyway, Bobby was a gentle soul, was a Russian interpreter in the military, a former policeman, a painter, and just in general one nice guy. He talked to me about getting a wisteria before I ever dug up a little one at Cook Hill. I’m honored to have his tree.