The Venerable Vine Maple

Vine maple fall color at Tilden Botanic Garden in Berkeley CA,
photo courtesy of drystonegarden.com

Fairly often I am asked by coastal garden clients whether they can plant a maple tree.

Usually what they mean is a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), like a Coral Bark Maple or a Laceleaf Maple.  Sometimes they are interested in an upright, larger species like the taller Japanese varieties, or even a Red Maple (Acer rubrum).  Most folks don't have room in the yard to even consider our Northwest native Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum).

More often than not, after determining their specific goal-- color? shade? accent tree?-- my answer is to suggest the coastal native Vine Maple, Acer circinatum.

Other maples will grow here, given sufficient moisture, good drainage and shelter from wind.  And I do mean shelter from wind.  A coastal gardener might plant a perfectly good Willamette-Valley-grown nursery tree, like an upright Japanese maple, only to see it defoliate on one side, lean away from prevailing winds, leaf tips turning brown and crispy in mid-summer and finally an early drop of sad brown leaves without any fall glory.

One of the primary features sought after when choosing a maple tree is that amazing display of fall color.  Depending on the species, it may range from a solid golden showing to a blazing range of sunset hues.  So it's pretty disappointing when your maple goes from summer green to dead brown all in one shot.  Partly this is due to the climate, since great fall color is a combination of sunny weather and cold night temps.

This is where Vine Maples really shine.  Since they are adapted to our mild climate, it takes little of the cold fall air to bring on the color.  Even within the city limits of Lincoln City, several blocks from the ocean, the Vine Maple is capable of a display including reds and yellows, and lasting several weeks.

Entering winter we enjoy another fine feature of this tree, the lovely mottled grey-and-white smooth bark.  (Young trees have greener bark that improves with age).  The bark is best displayed by using an upright pruning style, with the usually multi-trunked Vine Maple cleared of lower branches and excess root suckers.  Allow the upper canopy to spread with just occasional thinning as needed for light and wind passage.



Uses for this small tree include placement in tight or shady areas close to a structure or walkway.  Because the canopy is fairly narrow, it can be easily pruned to arch gracefully over a path or the eaves of your house, without causing damage.  Since the leaves are small (similar in size to Japanese maples) they make for easy cleanup in the fall and are not likely to cause clogged gutters like those of Bigleaf Maple.  Underplanting a Vine Maple with spring bulbs or low-growing native plants including perennials is quite charming, and provides an opportunity to explore a shade-loving palette.  Vine Maples are especially pleasing if they can be placed where afternoon sun can backlight the glowing leaves, and they are right at home beside a stream or "dry creekbed" landscape feature.

Vine maple is easily pruned in tight location

Caring for a Vine Maple is simple on the central coast.  They should be given some shelter from direct ocean winds, but can be used on the lee side of many homes near the oceanfront.  Like most natives, they don't require fertilization if they are planted in average coastal topsoil, which tends to be high in organic matter and fairly acidic; if your soil is poor, dig a large hole and add compost to mix with the surrounding soil.

Provide your Vine Maple with a little supplemental water (once a week is plenty) in the dry months of late summer, especially when it's getting established the first couple years.  Prune as desired for shape, but please don't top this tree-- it will spoil the structure.  Sit back and enjoy your fine native tree.

Resources for Vine Maples:  On the central coast, Blake's Coastal Nursery and Landscape in Gleneden Beach (Loop Rd., exit just south of Salishan, continue into Gleneden and Blake's is on the left hand side).

In the Willamette Valley, my favorite for natives is Wallace Hansen's nursery in Salem, which is unfortunately closed at this time but the website offers loads of information on native plants, for free.  Take a look.  Most nurseries in the Valley that carry trees of any kind will offer Acer circinatum.

A Walk on the Wild Side

Wet and cool weather for the whole of March has made it tough to find opportunities in the garden-- much less, to feel like spring has finally arrived.

Alas, the adapted coastal native plants may be our surest signs: a recent wetlands walk had me surrounded by these cheery Northwest harbingers: Hooker's Willow, Skunk Cabbage, and Indian Plum.

In Lincoln City we are fortunate to have several parcels of undeveloped land set aside for the community as "open space."  In addition we are lucky to have an Oregon State Park on the shore of Devils Lake right in the middle of town, and this park features a public wetlands trail.  The route is short but pleasant, changing from muddy track to raised low-impact boardwalk made from recycled lumber.  The construction is a special pier-type system which requires fewer intrusions into the ecology and allows for water passage beneath.

Walk this trail in late March beginning at the park entrance gate-- a small marked footpath to the right-- and the sight of Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton americanum, will stop you in your tracks.  The glowing yellow bracts pushing from the mucky creekbed seem to light your way along the path, recalling the alternate common name Swamp Lantern.  I find them every bit as spring-cheerful as daffodils, and somewhat miraculous in their adaptation to the heavy sodden soils of our coastal wetlands.  Their notorious odor was not even noticeable on this day.

Strolling further south, the larger trees of the park give way to a sunny (if there were ever sun shining) opening featuring wetland grasses, forbs and shrubs.  It's here that both Hooker's Willow and Indian Plum take center stage.  Indian Plum, Oemleria cerasiformis, is one of my favorite natives both for its charming delicate blossoms that hang in white clusters and for its brilliant green spring foliage.

Oemleria cerasiformis, Indian Plum

The little flourishes of upright new leaves decorate its branches, startling against a backdrop of dark and dreary forest edge.  They are most noticeable along Northwest highways, such as driving through the Coast Range, before all the other deciduous plants leaf out and retire the plum to its background role.  Although this little native shrub produces actual plums, valuable as wildlife food, rarely is the plant noticed at that time of year. It's in early spring when Indian Plum steals the show.

A spring bouquet would not be complete without a few showy branches of Pussy Willow... but the coastal native Hooker's Willow, Salix hookeriana, is the one on display in our wetland.  An amazingly tough and adaptable shrub, it will grow into the sandy bluffs where drainages flow toward the ocean, as it does in the north end of town on a foot path from NW 50th.  Showing its preferences for wet soils, the lovely shrub proliferates on the Devils Lake wetlands trail, those classic fuzzy buds bursting forth on long arching branches that reach overhead.

One method I've been meaning to try is to use cuttings of our native willow to create a rooting-tea: plants in this genus all produce a natural rooting chemical that can be extracted by soaking in water, then used as a drench for propagating other plants.  I'm a sucker for free plant products.

Finally, I had to make note of the Red Alder trees just breaking dormancy.  Delightful year-round, alders in this season dangle their ornamental cones from last year along with both male and female catkins as they prepare for pollination.  The unique stalked, red buds become more deeply colored just before leafing out, lending an overall impression of rosy glow to the dense branches.  Alders are somewhat shorter (probably limited by the challenging soil conditions) in the wetland, but lend a nice overstory component to the collection of low vegetation found on this charming wetland walk.

To access this trail, approach from the Devils' Lake Campground entrance gate on NE 6th, just behind the Lincoln City Cultural Center.  If you are driving (and not staying at the campground) you can alternatively park in a public lot at the other end of the trail, at NE 1st Street.  Turn east from Hwy 101 at the Comfort Inn (on the north side of the D River), and continue on the gravel driveway to its end for the parking lot.


My favorite reference for native NW plants:

Coastal Rain Gardens

Spring bulbs in rain garden

A little over a year ago, I wrote about dealing with our heavy rainfall on the coast of Oregon and mentioned in that post the idea of "rain gardens."  Then last summer I had the opportunity to attend a workshop hosted by Oregon State University on this topic, and wanted to share this idea a little further with readers.

The basic idea of a rain garden addresses this problem: too much of our heavy rainfall comes all at once in a large "event," and rushes across impermeable surfaces like roofs, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways, then flows directly into the storm sewers (or nearby water bodies) without any filtration.  When this happens, lots of pollutants including fertilizers and motor oil are swept along with the water, requiring treatment if they make it to the sewer system, or just polluting the water bodies if it flows there directly.

If instead we create a mechanism to slow down the water flow, and cause it to slowly drain through layers of soil, plants and rock, it is much cleaner by the time it gets to its final destination and reduces our need for storm sewer treatment capacity.

Flagstone set into a permeable rock/sand base
provides additional area for infiltration

So the rain garden is simply a designed area which intentionally collects water that might otherwise flow from your downspouts to the storm drain, or across a large paved area, and directs it to an attractive planted feature which can contain the likely amount of water from a single "event" and let it filter through slowly.

"Stream" catches water from center
downspout & sidewalk

Benefits of the rain garden obviously include improved water quality and a reduction in the need/cost of storm water treatment.  Other less obvious benefits to the homeowner might include a very attractive landscape feature including grasses, shrubs and flowering perennials; wildlife habitat when using carefully chosen native species; turning a difficult area of the yard into a useful landscape feature; and preserving your structures from additional erosion or mud-splash by directing the flow elsewhere.

Commercial rain garden installation

A terrific guide is available from Oregon State University (free) to help homeowners, builders and landscapers  design rain gardens into their ecologically-friendly landscapes.  This guide is very thorough including design specifications and plant lists, so I'm providing here some photos of local examples.  The tiny residential rain garden is in my front yard, installed last fall.  The larger, commercial project is located at our new fire station and the garden is about 3 years old.

Note the curb cuts which allow parking
lot to drain into rain garden

Looking north: varied planting includes
Oregon grape, purple-osier willow, vine maple and rushes

Further reading--

Pity the Poor Alder

Alnus rubra, the Red Alder, is a misunderstood species in this part of the world. This native hardwood, common to wetter areas like riverbanks in western Oregon, is treated like a scourge by homeowners and loggers alike. Pity. This wonderful hardy tree has so much to offer, in my opinion.

Consider the many seasons that an alder tree shows you its beauty.

In the grim winters of western Oregon, these native trees display mottled grey and white bark to rival any birch, and graceful branches which are easily pruned into a high canopy. The open branching admits needed light underneath in dark months.

Late winter into early spring, the alders are the first to begin warming our tree canopy with color, as their stalked red buds swell and a hazy rose is spread among their tree tops. For some, the alders can bring on spring allergies, but their bloom is brief.

Summer brings a canopy of dappled bright-green shade, beautifully backlit by the high northern sun. The shade provided under this nitrogen-fixing, drought-tolerant plant creates some of the best-adapted lawns we have seen, without additional water.

The alders in fall turn a subtle golden and the leaves drop quickly, usually quite late. These leaves are light and small enough to provide valuable mulch or compost media, and don't pack into the wet impenetrable mess seen under many maples.

The alder offers one more benefit, after its life has come to an end. Hot-burning firewood, with small diameter branches perfect for a campfire and larger trunks that are easy to split. You might notice firewood sellers who are exclusive to alder.

This is just to say, native trees and plants have many attributes often overlooked. Before you condemn them in favor of a Japanese or English import, give them a chance.