Wanting to meet more and more often professionals who share their knowledge and experience with us, NewsJardinTV invites you today to meet Gérard Hillion, a nurseryman specializing in heather plants and especially Japanese maples. Gérard, who first had a career as a florist, begins by presenting the nursery located near Orléans, which he bought in 2012. At the time, there were about a hundred varieties of Japanese maples, today the collection has 250. Japanese maples grow quite slowly. They therefore require several years of cultivation. All cultivars are grafted plants, which justifies the relatively high price of these small trees. The nursery offers specimens of all sizes, with some specimens being 10 to 15 years old. Maples (genus Acer, family Sapindaceae) come in 500 species, of which only 3 are called "Japanese maple". NewsJardinTV editor-in-chief Patrick Mioulane explains the etymology of the name and presents Acer palmatum, whose species name indicates the palmate shape of the leaf. The various species and cultivars are distinguished by the shape of their leaves, their colors and the different silhouettes that can be erect, compact, weeping or spreading. Gérard specifies that all Japanese maples can be grown in pots because they have a small root system. Although the leaves are thin, these plants are perfectly resistant to pollution. On the other hand, they fear sea spray and are not suitable for coastal gardens. The Japanese maple is a species that grows naturally in undergrowth, but varieties have been created to be able to withstand full sun (without excess). Gérard specifies that the foliage often curls up in the summer because the plant has lacked water. It is therefore necessary to plan for abundant watering. After the presentation of the Acer palmatum, Patrick and Gérard show Acer japonicum. This larger species is distinguished by its much larger leaf with a very different architecture that has more cuts. The buds are also different. Gérard shows four cultivars that are relatively unknown and very interesting for their different aspects: 'Attaryi', 'Meigetsu', 'Fairy Lights' and 'Green Cascade'. Their autumn colours are much more changeable than those of Acer palmatum. Gérard advises growing Japanese maples in fairly fresh and very draining soil, especially not drying out. He warns against excessive acidity and recommends, in pots, mixing between a quarter and a third of good quality topsoil with the rest of the planting compost. Patrick and Gérard then present Acer shirasawanum whose leaves are significantly smaller than those of Acer palmatum. The cultivar 'Aureum' (reaches 7 m) is the best known and most characteristic, as are 'Autumn Moon' (spreading) or 'Jordan' (erect and compact), others such as 'Yasemin' or 'Green Elf' being often confused with Acer palmatum. Our experts advise showering the foliage in the evening in summer, when the sun no longer comes into contact with the leaves. Gérard shows that at the end of summer the growth is more vigorous, the trees develop long, slightly bare stems. He then shows how to prune them to keep the plant's silhouette harmonious. This very richly illustrated video gives you a quick overview of the rich diversity of Japanese maples, very hardy plants, to be grown in acidic soil. The NewsJardinTV team thanks you for your loyalty to our channel. To be kept up to date with all our new publications, don't hesitate to subscribe by clicking on the bell icon at the top right of this page, it's free! NewsJardinTV also invites you to follow its weekly podcast show "Bienvenue au Jardin". The video version is posted every Saturday morning at 8 am on our YouTube channel, with the possibility of chatting live until 9 am. You can also listen to it on the main podcast platforms: Apple Podcast, Spotify; Deezer, Google Podcast, Podcast Addict, SoundCloud, etc. Since you like our videos, we would be very happy if you were one of our ambassadors, so don't hesitate to tell your friends who love plants, gardening and gardens about NewsJardinTV, we thank you in advance. See you soon for new gardening adventures, on NewsJardinTV of course and see you every next Saturday for a new issue of "Bienvenue au Jardin!"