2026 Garden Progress

Shaina Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Shaina'
A compact red mound in spring leaf-out, with that fine textured maple look showing against the brick and mulch.
spring leaf-out japanese maple 9 photos
Shaina Japanese maple beside Sunshine ligustrum and burgundy loropetalum in the side-house foundation bed
August 18, 2026

Late-summer layered canopy

Shaina is holding a finely cut canopy on the right side of the foundation bed, with green summer leaves and red-bronze tips still giving it a separate identity from the heavier shrubs.

Season notes
The maple's open branching and narrow leaves keep the brick visible through the crown. It now reads as a soft screen opposite the dense Sunshine ligustrum, rather than the small red spring mound seen earlier in the year.
Shaina Japanese maple in the side-house foundation bed with Sunshine ligustrum, purple loropetalum, variegated liriope, and rhododendron
July 6, 2026

July side-house balance

Shaina is keeping a fine-textured red presence at the right of the foundation bed, opposite the bright Sunshine ligustrum.

Season notes
This is a useful midsummer placement record: the maple still reads clearly against the brick, while the loropetalum and liriope create a dense lower layer beneath it.
Shaina Japanese maple in the side-house foundation bed with Sunshine ligustrum and purple loropetalum
June 24, 2026

Summer side-house context

Shaina is holding the dark red right side of the foundation bed, balancing the chartreuse Sunshine ligustrum and purple loropetalum below.

Season notes
This wider late-June shot is useful for scale and placement: the maple is no longer just a spring leaf-out detail, it is part of the full brick-side color composition.
Red mound in spring
April 21, 2026

Red mound in spring

Deep red-maroon foliage pushing strong after winter dieback cleanup.

Foliage detail
April 21, 2026

Foliage detail

The fine textured maple leaves catching light against the brick.

Close-up texture
April 21, 2026

Close-up texture

Up close showing the dissected leaf form and deep color.

Full form
April 21, 2026

Full form

The compact rounded shape of Shaina, dense and well-behaved.

Spring context
Spring

Spring context

Shaina visible alongside the Twombly's Red Sentinel, two red maples complementing each other.

Reference board
April 23, 2026

Reference board

A detail reference showing the color and form up close.