Landscape design does not lose its popularity. On the contrary, even the owners of small suburban areas are trying to decorate their possessions with compositions from different trees and shrubs. Bright but unpretentious types of content are ideally suited for these purposes.
This review is devoted to one of such plants - let's take a closer look. The ash-leaved maple of the popular variety Flamingo.
Biological features
This tree came to us from America, some natural tracts can be found in the Far East and in the marshy areas of Siberia. Most of the specimens look like wide and tall bushes, and not full-fledged trees. The average height is 5 meters, although there are also 7-meter maples. 
Appreciated for the characteristic color of the leaves, which changes throughout the season. Large (10-20 cm) lanceolate leaves in the spring have a pink color with white veins, so the variety got its name. In the summer they darken, turning into white-green, and in September the white background of the shoots gives way to yellow.
In the second half of May and early June, it is time for flowering. At this time, medium-sized flowers (4-6 cm) can be seen. They are distinguished by their pale yellow-green color and rounded, slightly flattened shape.
Important! Maples are trying to plant away from the asphalted tracks - after some time, actively growing roots can simply “break” such a coating.In the open air, such plants live for 60-70 years, but with proper care they can "hold out" and up to 100. But in urban conditions, the lifespan is only 30 years.
Use in garden compositions
The combination of decorative and unpretentiousness made the maple a traditional element of landscape decoration. It is often planted to diversify into a complex multi-species composition, although the Flamingo may also be the central element of a small decorative “bundle”.
Consider these options, starting with the simplest:
- Single landing, surrounded by a flower garden. The best "neighbors" are lobularia, petunias, pansies and begonias. They can be replaced by plants of similar size and color.
- Separate pink-white "island" on the site. The scheme is the same, but preference is given to flowers that fall in the same tone with the leaves. These can be dahlias and lilies, geraniums or tender irises. To make such a corner look more natural, the maple is slightly shifted to the side - placing it strictly in the center is undesirable, this slightly "cuts" the eye;
Did you know? In Lithuania, you can see a lot of cars with images of maple leaf glued to the angle of the windshield. That means driving - novice driver, driving experience which is less than 2 years.
- Traditional mixborders. As part of such a group of maples, as it were, shade their more stunted "brethren" and flowers, so they are placed in the middle of the composition. If it happens in shaded areas, a fern or lung box is planted nearby. The hedge obtained in this way can serve both as a border of a summer residence, and act as a wall separating the beds from the recreation area.
Read the description of the most popular species of maple.
Selection and preparation of the site
An ideal place for planting would be a healthy, moist and loose soil. If the soil is depleted or dry - it doesn’t matter, the maple will be gladly accepted on such a platform. Pre-feeding a small amount of humus will be only a plus.
At the same time, the place should be open - growing in the shade, the tree will lose its “corporate” color and decorative effect (the leaves fade, and the pattern on them becomes blurred). 
Important! If there are active pets on the plot, it is better to insulate the weak seedlings with a net.There is one difficulty. The fact is that you have to find a compromise arrangement: long growth in the shade is as harmful as the constant exposure to sunlight, which simply dries the leaves.
Choosing a suitable "patch" in early spring or autumn, you can begin to disembark.
Planting seedlings
This procedure is for everyone:
- A square deep hole 50x50 cm in size is dug. A high level of groundwater can be compensated by laying a drainage layer of 15-20 cm. For this, screenings or fine crushed stone are suitable, sand is also good for such purposes.
- Then it is poured with a small amount of water and make the necessary fertilizer. Most often it is a mixture of humus with turf and sand in a ratio of 3: 2: 1, but nitroammofosk in the amount of 135-150 g is also suitable.
- Lower the seedling into the hole, placing the root collar at ground level. Note that the soil will give a drawdown, so the plant can be lifted (10-15 cm).
- It remains to gently fill the shoots and the very fossa, tightly tamping the ground. Do not forget to pour a layer of mulch in 3-5 cm (well, if you have peat at hand). Immediately pour plenty of seedling, you will need 30 liters of water.
Planting scheme provides an interval between trees of 2-3 meters. For a hedge of 2 meters will be enough.
How fast is growing
Be prepared for the fact that the tree goes into growth almost immediately after planting. For the year it can grow by about 50 cm (both up and in width). It turns out that the plant will reach its natural maximum in 7-10 years.
Did you know? Everyone knows about the "maple" Canadian coat of arms. But leaves and branches are also found on the emblems of a number of German, Finnish and Czech cities.You can often see the Flamingo maple growing on a trunk. This is a necessary measure - the branches (especially in young) are very fragile, and the wood itself is not very durable. As the growth of the number of struts increase.
Care Tips
To surely achieve the expected decorative effect, you will have to make some effort. Note that at different stages of development equally different measures are required.
Care of seedlings
It boils down to such procedures:
- Weekly watering (30-40 liters). In cold weather, you can pour half as much or moisten the rhizome with a 2-week break.
- Loosening the grenade circle after each watering. In the first year, they don’t go deep in order not to damage the upper roots.
- Regular removal of weeds.
- Periodic summer feedings. The best option is the universal composition of Kemira. Only 100 g of the solution is applied to each “square” (a 20-gram pack is enough for 10 liters of water). Processing is done two or three times, with a break of 2 weeks.
Find out what healing properties and contraindications maple has.
Before frosts, a young trunk is wrapped near the roots. It is used lapnik or double layer of burlap.
Adult care
After the first wintering, all frozen shoots are cut off - this is painless for the crown, which will start up new ones without any difficulty. With further pruning, everything is simple - diseased or withered branches are removed first.
Important! Crowns hanging down to the ground often attract ticks. In order not to expose yourself to such a threat, cut branches in time or at least substitute a bole.Starting from the 2nd year, single supplements are made in the spring with a mix of urea (40 g), superphosphate (40 g) and potassium (20 g).
Frequency and volume of watering remain the same.Growing up and regular care, as you can see, does not cause the owner of the Maple Flamingo much of a hassle. But there is a problem that can reduce all work to no.
These are diseases and pests. By itself, this plant has good immunity, but the neighborhood with other species sometimes turns into a risk factor - insects or sores begin to cross from them.
Most often dense plantings bake whiteflies and leaf weevils. You can fight them with the help of a soap solution - chopped soap is mixed with water (1: 6), whipped until foam appears and is applied to the leaves with a sponge. Comes and for spraying. Re-processing is done in a week. 
If folk remedies did not help, use "chemistry" like Konfidor, Aktellika, Fitoverma and similar drugs.
Of the diseases most problems arise with coral leaf spot, which easily turns into black. To prevent this, still dormant buds are sprayed with 5% vitriol.
Did you know? In the pagan era, the Slavs believed that maple - it is nothing more than a man turned into a tree. Therefore, its wood and foliage were not used as firewood (it is not suitable for a living person to burn).At the first signs powdery mildew followed by treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate (2.5 g / 10 l of water). It is carried out 2-3 times with a 5-day interval. If the defeat has become too extensive, use Topaz, Fundazole or Vitaros according to the instructions.
How does winter endure
Flamingo maple has excellent winter hardiness. It tolerates frost well and is practically not susceptible to long-term cold weather, which distinguishes our latitudes.
But this should not be abused - young fragile seedlings reach such conditions gradually, during the first 3 years of growth. Up to this point they have to be insulated for the winter, covering the base of the trunk with a spruce branch or dense sacking. This "armor" is especially relevant for regions with little snow and very cold winters.
For adults, the weather is not terrible - in the middle lane they are not covered at all.
We learned how to decorate the site with a spectacular maple and what to do to ensure the tree growth. We hope this will help our readers to transform the familiar look of the problem. More unusual colors!
