Many homeowners purchase a beautiful Japanese maple in spring only to bring in burnt and damaged leaves in summer worried that their investment is about to part ways with their yard. The tree isn't dying - it's just suffering from heat stress. A common misconception is that Japanese maples can't tolerate a full sun location. But this is not true. All Japanese maples can adapt to a full sun location and, in fact, tend to color up better when they are in one. What most people experience is summer heat stress due to infrequent or lack of water when the tree needs it, especially during a heat wave.

Most Japanese maples will burn a little on the leaf tips in the first year while acclimating to a sunny location. But after that, they should not experience more stress. The reason maple leaves turn brown on the edges in summer is that the tree is unable to replenish the moisture the foliage loses through natural transpiration. As moisture leaves a plant, the tree draws moisture up from the ground to keep the cells in the leaves healthy and robust. If the tree has no moisture to draw from, the cells burst and die, which leads to the burning one sees on the leaf edges.

This condition can also be caused by salt burn from the use or overuse of strong chemical fertilizers containing high amounts of nitrogen, especially ammoniacal nitrogen. Even if the soil is moist around the trees, the tree can burn because the moist soil actually activates the fertilizer and the tree cannot control the amount of fertilizer it actually draws up.

What Japanese maples do need is a consistently moist, well-drained environment and, preferably, the use of an organic fertilizer. The term "well-drained" is key because regular watering in a poorly drained area will lead to root-rot and, ultimately, death. So never plant a Japanese maple in a low spot or next to a downspout or gutter. The amount of watering it takes to maintain a consistently moist condition will vary with soil type and location but on average Japanese maples should be checked for watering every 2-3 days. Organic fertilizers are preferable because they are not activated by moisture but rather soil temperature and organic soil microbes and other beneficial organisms.

Another way to cut down on heat stress and leaf damage is to spray the tree with a product called Cloud Cover. It is a clear, non-toxic anti-transpirant that coats the leaves to hold in moisture in plants and reduce stress caused by temperature extremes and a dry environment. It seals in moisture without leaving a sticky residue. Cloud Cover lasts up to three months on plants here at the nursery. It is available here in a ready-to-use spray or a concentrate that is easily mixed with water.

It's possible here to have color year-round from permanent plants. If your garden lacks color now, notice what's in bloom in local gardens, and visit botanical gardens and nurseries to see what's flowering. Consider adding one or two of the following plants that bloom during June.

Rose of Sharon Hibiscus

This hardy deciduous shrub or patio tree makes a colorful addition to any garden. It enjoys full sun and blooms from Mid-May to the end of September. They come in a variety of spectacular color combinations including, white w/orchid eye, lavender w/purple eye, and rose with/dark red eye.

Jacaranda with Agapanthus.

Jacaranda is a spectacular tree. Try planting white agapanthus, also in bloom now, at its feet. Or use blue agapanthus for mirror effect - blue on the tree and the ground as well.

Fuchsia, Hydrangea, and Lantana

All these are at the height of bloom in June. Fuchsias need regular water but adapt well to drip systems. Hydrangeas also need plenty of water, but they make good container plants or choices for shady areas with damp but well-drained soil. Lantana is one of the easiest full-sun, drought-resistant plants to grow and is a great bank cover.

Day Lilies

Well, of course! How can we leave out our favorite plant? These blooming beauties are in their prime June and July, with many repeating their bloom performance well into fall. They tolerate some shade and are outstanding in the sun.

Vines

All of the following bloom in summer and can be planted now.

Bougainvillea - for tropical color all season long, nothing beats this vine, which is available in almost every color under the sun.

Royal trumpet vine (Distictis 'Rivers') is a strong grower, disease resistant, with flowers ranging from mauve to royal purple.

Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides) is pink (rosea) or white (alba). Protect it from wind.

Scarlet trumpet vine (Distictis buccinatoria) does best near the sea, but can be grown in the interior, though it will suffer frost damage.

Do the last thinning on deciduous fruit trees after June drop has occurred. June drop is nature's way of getting rid of an overload of fruit. It may occur any time between early May and July but is most likely to happen in June. One day you visit your apple, peach or apricot tree and find a circle of immature fruit lying on the ground under the branches. These trees often set more than double the amount of fruit they could possibly ripen properly, so they simply drop off part of it.

If you thinned out the fruit on your trees in April and again four to six weeks later, you enabled the remaining fruit to grow larger and thus less fruit will drop off now. Nevertheless, you may need to remove even more fruit than naturally drops in order to space your crop evenly down the branches. Inspect other deciduous fruit trees that are less subject to June drop, plums for instance, and thin out their fruits also.

Clean up the fallen fruit under the tree before it has a chance to rot and spread disease. If it's healthy, chop it and add it to your compost pile (cover it with earth to fight against flies and rodents). Also water deciduous fruit trees well in June and July.

Matt was born and raised in San Jose. After graduating from high school, Matt left San Jose to attend Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, where he received a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. Matt first worked as a foreman with a landscape maintenance company at the Stanford Research Institute and then at another retail nursery before joining us in 1993.

He is very active in the industry and has served as president of the our local chapter of the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers. Matt also gives educational garden talks to various garden clubs in the area.

Matt once was an extra on the TV show "America's Most Wanted." His closest brush with fame was watching the 2003 Super Bowl in Las Vegas with William "The Refrigerator" Perry of the Chicago Bears.

Matt has an extensive wine collection as well as rock 'n roll art memorabilia. In his spare time he likes to go wine tasting with his wife Jenny and big game fishing with his friends in Mexico.

My Celebrity Service staff and I look forward to serving you this year. We'll go out of our way to make your day!

Eric Wilder - President