Wood Water Garden

Goodbye, Shishigashira

2010-10-27T18:27:00.000-04:00

I can't hide it any longer. My lovely shishigasira lion's head maple tree has died. Only the lower branches came back last year after a very cold and very wet winter, and this year those few branches didn't make it either. I had to admit it. The lovely five-foot tree was gone.

What happened? It was planted in a lower spot where a cottonwood stump had been removed, and it was surrounded by hardy ground cover. That meant that the pounds and pounds of snow that covered the roots just stayed there and flooded it with too much water in spring. I read much later that the lion's head maple doesn't like it's feet to be kept wet.

I have the old photos of it, but now realize I planted it in the wrong place. It should also have had more sun.

How many of you have had better success with these trees?

Yellow and Coral Spring Surprises

2010-04-14T07:12:00.001-04:00

I hope the bees come soon so I'll have sour cherries this summer!

This young japonica or ornamental quince bush, chaenomeles speciosa, surprised me with multiple buds this spring. I took this at night with shaking hands, so must get a better picture when more of the coral buds open up.

This twiggy bush also gave more blooms this spring than last year. It's getting more sun this spring and should bloom all summer. Darn! I forgot the name!

Arts and Culture Commemorative Trophy

2010-02-22T08:57:00.001-05:00

I'm honored to have a Commemorative Trophy from Raquel Crusoe, classical pianist and professor of music from Minas Gerais, Brazil, celebrating her blog's first anniversary and reaching 1,000 friends. Please check out her music videos and other artist performances on Raquel Crusoe - Arte e Cultura.

Queridos amigos !

Eu não poderia deixar passar em branco esse momento em que alcançamos a marca dos 1 000 amigos e leitores. Agradeço a Deus, nosso maior e melhor Amigo, por termos encontrado um ao outro.

Obrigada pela presença de vocês em nossa vida e nesta jornada em prol da Arte e Cultura. Por esta razão, para estarmos cada vez mais juntos, ofereço este Troféu Comemorativo para registrarmos este momento ímpar.

Ficarei muito feliz em vê-lo no espaço de cada um, espaço este que no dia a dia se transforma mais e mais em nosso.

Vocês valem Ouro !

Com muito carinho,
Raquel

I used Google Translator to translate from Portuguese to English. Raquel thanks her followers with this trophy to honor Arts and Culture and the one year anniversary of her music blog.

Thinking Purple-Pink

2010-02-05T07:09:00.006-05:00

Looking forward to more purple-pinks in the garden this summer. Right now it looks pretty white, with more snow expected! In the woods it's okay, but in my backyard? I'm imagining summer pinks!

Two Spots of Winter Color in the Snow

2010-01-19T08:21:00.003-05:00

The Euonymous Wintercreeper bush above has kept its yellow-green leaves through the freezing temps and snow. It's labeled for zones 5-8.

The red berries of the Rockspray Cotoneaster have survived the winter and the birds, who also use the birdfeeders in the backyard and in the neighborhood to get food in winter.

No other bush or tree in the backyard have color, other than brown/black and white, and the dark green leaves of hardy rosebushes.

The pictures are foggy because of the weather and because i took them from inside the house,looking out through a glazed window!

Flower Graphic Art: Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Dover Publications

To brighten us up in the bleak wintry weather.

Memories of Fall 2009: Color

2010-01-10T15:19:00.005-05:00

The maple turned a lovely red in the fall and of course is leafless and covered in snow now. In spring the leaves are a darker red and more purplish in the summer. I took pictures in November but never posted them. It seems like a good idea now in the middle of black and white winter!

Click on the photo to enlarge it and see more detail.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T20:12:00.005-05:00

Courtesy of Dover Publications

Hope your spirits will be bright this holiday season! Happy Holidays, everyone! And may butterflies always come to your garden!

California flora

2009-10-08T08:25:00.010-04:00

One of California's unusual flowering bushes

White crane among waterlilies

Lily hangs over the sidewalk.

Italian and Thai Basil

2009-10-01T08:14:00.002-04:00

My dining room is fragrant with the smell of basil. I think it's the purplish Thai basil that's giving off the herbal fragrance. I planted both kinds this summer in the garden and have potted them for the indoors. I only hope they will survive in front of the south window, and may have to give them and the other indoor plants some artificial light.

In the green mix by the window are a long box of basil, a large pot with a banana plant and its large sucker (making it two plants), a lemon leaf tree, and a small planter with philodendron, a palm, and a few other tropical plants. I often lose the herbs in winter from lack of light and maybe some neglect. Will see how they do this winter.

Robin's Nest Revisited

2009-07-15T10:34:00.003-04:00

I'e been neglecting this blog terribly, even though the garden is full of birds and critters, a few new plants and flowers, and there is a lot to post about.

Back to the robin's nest. We found out that robins can lay eggs up to three times a year, beginning in spring and through summer. A robin, I don't know which, has been coming back to the now empty nest. It has been sitting and fussing in the nest on and off and seems to have been fixing it up, maybe for another clutch of eggs?

However, I haven't seen the robin in a few days. Abandoned the nest again after buzzing back and forth to it, like a mother with empty nest syndrome (laugh)? My better half had left a long green water hose on the lawn. I hope that sight didn't scare the robin away! I wouldn't mind looking at another set of eggs getting hatched right outside my front window!

Anyway, I rolled up the green snake-like water hose and it's now out of sight! We'll see if said robin(s) come back!

A Robin's Empty Nest

2009-06-18T21:10:00.006-04:00

Another empty nest! Today, the second of the two fledgling birds flew the coop,literally. The first one left yesterday and must have come back today as the second followed it out of the nest to the dogwood tree nearby. Now they have both flown off.

We had watched a robin build her nest over the past month and then settle in. When I came back after a 10 day vacation, I saw two large chicks fluffing and preening in a nest in the tall woody bush outside the front window. Mother bird would fly out to get food from the grass after a rain, but had back up food sources - a serviceberry tree in the front yard and a sour cherry tree in the back, both with lots of red fruit.

Now both chicks have flown the coop and I admit I miss watching them, almost as much as I missed having my own empty nest years ago when our second child left home!

Wonder if another robin will find the nest next year, if it will last that long!

I'm glad to see our garden supporting wildlife!

I have photos, but will post these later.

The Trail of the Wild Rose by Anthony Eglin, review

2009-05-07T07:22:00.002-04:00

Gardners who love a mystery might like this book which discusses roses from China and the influences they had on the varieties of modern rose we have today.

The book weaves botanical and horticultural information throughout.
"The introduction of the China roses to Europe changed rose culture forevermore. Chinese roses offered several distinct traits that had been lacking in European roses of the eighteenth century." Ch. 13, p. 106.

This is a garden mystery written by Anthony Eglin, The Trail of the Wild Rose: An English Garden Mystery, published 2009, in which plant hunters are being targeted by an "assailant" in Britain.

Click here to see a review of the book: Trail of the Wild Rose.

Double Hibiscus

2009-05-05T23:19:00.000-04:00

Summer of 2007.

Harvey, our bichon, thought there was a two-eyed monster by the back fence and barked at these white hibiscus one dusky evening. I had to walk up to the plant and give the flowers a shake to show him they were harmless!

Wide as large saucers, white and red hibiscus were blooming in the front and back yard. A second hibiscus opened up right next to the first and created this image of a double bloom.

I've since moved all the hibiscus plants to the backyard so they wouldn't have to bend and stretch to get the full sun.

Lion's Head Maple, Shishigashira, Ojishi

2009-05-05T23:08:00.000-04:00

Another view of the Japanese Lion's Head Maple in the backyard.

Click on the pictures to see the crinkly leaves in detail.

The Shishigashira above is still thriving under the shade of taller trees, surrounded by a ground cover that keeps its roots moist.

Click here for more picture of the Lion's Head Maple.

Yarrow and Japanese maple

2009-05-05T23:03:00.002-04:00

From last year's garden.

A Yarrow flower. These yarrow plants were uprooted several years ago from the front garden as they were not producing very good blooms. They kept popping up in the driveway median strip year after year and were mown down. Last year, I dug them up and replanted them where there is more sunlight, and they developed bright pink blooms!

Underneath the canopy of a green-stemmed maple. The leaves of this maple cultivar overlap and mound. The branches avoid the shade of the house and another bush, so there is a big space where I could duck into with the camera. The tree is only about 8 feet tall. It's one of the highlights of the garden.

It may be variegated Acer palmatum "Oridono Nishiki," a grafted tree also known as Orido nishiki. The name is said to mean "the rich colored fabric of the master."

There is some pink, white and cream in many new leaves in spring, though now in summer all are a bright pale green. The tree is said to reach the height of 15 feet or more in 15 or more years.

Polka dot plant, creeping jenny

2009-05-05T23:00:00.000-04:00

Last summer's flowers.

The "polka dot" plant above, the only annual I have this year, is sitting in a pot with other greenery, yet to be replanted in a place that gets only morning sun. Click on the photo to enlarge it and see the beautiful spotted leaves up close - dark pink, pink, and green combined in each leaf.

This young hosta is doing nicely and gives the garden bed some bright yellow color

A new Creeping Jenny keeps close to the ground, has been growing quickly, and also brightens up the flower bed (while we wait for the chrysanthemum bushes to add red and white and yellow in early fall). Hopefully there won't be a problem keeping Creeping Jenny under control!

Yellow and Purple Crocus

2009-05-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

From last spring, the first flowers that appeared by the backyard fence were these bright crocuses, in a spot where the squirrels have not yet been able to dig them up!

Rambling Rose

2009-05-05T22:51:00.000-04:00

Another transplant from another blog, this photo was taken in the backyard a few summers ago.

Forgot to raise the screen when I took this picture from the back window. The climbing roses with long branches made quite a little tree. This was before the 90 degree weather came, and the rains, to make havoc with the blooms. We enjoyed them for a couple of weeks, though.

Harvey, bichon frise

2009-05-05T22:45:00.000-04:00

We lost our 14-year old bichon Harvey on June 5 last year and we still miss him. Even in his later years, Harv was never afraid to look you straight in the eye. Our fearless little dog used to challenge much bigger dogs in the neighborhood with his animated barking. but then he would become very friendly up close.

Garden Reminders

2009-05-05T22:39:00.000-04:00

We bought this painted bunny as a nice reminder of our bichon, Harvey, whom we lost almost a year ago.

The stone angel in the backyard, where Harvey liked to explore, is hugging a rabbit, but we like to think it's a small dog.

Astible, False Spirea

2009-05-05T22:32:00.000-04:00

From my summer garden a few years ago, I've pulled this picture my other blog, where it doesn't belong!

With the purple spikes, it's about a foot and a half high. It certainly likes part shade, moist soil, and being kept cool surrounded by other plants.

Mossy Roof, Kyoto

2009-05-02T23:57:00.000-04:00

Moss adorns the roof over the front gate of a house in Kyoto. Taken last year during a walk in a residential section of the city.

Almost Spring, Japan

2009-03-16T10:11:00.000-04:00

Early March in Kyoto, pictures from 2008: Almost Spring in Kyoto

Spring is Just around the Corner

2009-03-15T05:52:00.000-04:00

We've seen the last of the snow, the tulips are pushing up their leaves, the rains have finished, the skies are sunny - seems like spring is almost here. Too cold to venture out into the garden for me. I've started a few seeds.

I may even grow more vegetables this year apart from the usual tomato and green and hot pepper plants.

There are new neighbors. Wonder what they will plant?

Climbing rose bush

2009-02-27T12:42:00.000-05:00

This climbing rose bush blooms like crazy every year then stops after the first flowers fade. In 2007, I trimmed the bush and waited to see if it would continue producing flowers through the summer!

it didn't very much. I think it's a one-time perennial bloomer.

Sour cherry tree

2009-02-27T12:14:00.000-05:00

A post from June 2007 re the backyard cherry tree.

No sour grapes here, even though heavy spring rains and winds flattened the cherry blossoms and discouraged the bees that usually pollinate this tree.

As a result there are about one-third or less of the usual amount of cherries this year. I decided not to pick them but to leave them for the birds, and for those eager backyard squirrels - gymnasts who hang upside down and adopt fasicinating postures to get at the fruit.

The tree is a Montmorency sour cherry, I believe, which is self pollinating, though when I bought the tree it was labeled a McKinley cherry tree. I was told that it needed another tree of the same kind for pollination. The tree has fruited every year, so either there is a similiar tree in the neighborhood or the tree really is a Montmorency.

In the past I have been creative with the cherries - have stewed the fruit with lots of sugar, removed the seeds, and made a cherry syrup to put in sangria, make a cherry drink, or pour over ice cream. I have also pitted the fruit and cooked them down in sugar to make filling for a traditional pie. So has my neighbor, who exchanges tomatoes from his garden for a bowl of our sour cherries!

Wonder how well the tree will blossom in spring 2009 after a harsh winter? And will there be enough bees to ensure a full covering of cherries?

Banana Tree

2009-02-27T12:10:00.000-05:00

The plant has been doing well facing south in zone 5, and has so far weathered the cold while indoors by the window.

Outdoor Bonsai

2009-02-26T19:35:00.001-05:00

In a residential section of Kyoto, I caught sight of this bonsai tree that was cut to fit the space it's in as well as to please the eye, its leaves artistically cut. The Japanese admire things that are "sculpted and controlled," in the words of writer Pico Iyer, who lived in Nara, close to Kyoto.

If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see the "fence" made of horsetail plants that are grown closely together around the base of the tree. Very ingenious. The tree with its gnarled and shaped branches in a "pom pom" look, must be quite old.

Note the decorated ceramic tile roof of the house in the background.

Dead branches

2008-12-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

Rising from bed with the flush of flu and glancing out the window at falling snow covering already covered trees, branches, and street,I notice for the first time a pale brown gash in the oak tree across the street, more than a foot wide.

Nothing too strange, but what a relief!

They have finally done it - removed the heavy branch that overhung the road and the entrance to my driveway. We just had heavy snow and ice, and now more snow. Was it a year ago that I started calling the city's forestry department and the electricity company to try to have the dead branches removed. Not only did they remove those branches, just in time I think, but they took off the entire limb.

How often I had imagined children, dogs, dog walkers (notice the order of importance)and cars being smashed by those decayed branches falling. And just when I was not noticing, somebody removed the entire limb. It might even have been the homeowner whose backyard the tree resides in.

Now, if I can only get the city to remove another heavy dead limb overhanging the street next to ours....

First Snowfall

2008-12-06T14:16:00.000-05:00

First all-day snowfall of the year - steady falling, silent snow.

Things look quiet, clean, and calm outside, and a bird or two has found a perch on the bare branches of the cherry tree out back.

With a soft red sofa, two good books in hand, and holiday music in the background, it's possible for a while to forget the current craziness of a downspiraling economy, looming layoffs, and uncertainty in the future.

One reason to like the change of seasons - the first calming snow of the year.

By the shores of Lake Huron

2008-11-08T21:06:00.000-05:00

Over the Labor Day weekend, we stayed at a hotel in Mackinac City, Mich. right along Lake Huron. I spent an early morning taking pictures of the waves, the stones, and the friendly seagulls.

This curious gull might have been looking for handouts as it walked by.

Polka Dot Annual

2008-10-26T14:06:00.000-04:00

The "polka dot" plant above is doing well in the front and still alive and kicking at the end of October, thought the bright colors have darkened a bit. Click on the photo (taken early summer) to see the beautiful spotted leaves up close - dark pink, pink, and green combined in each leaf.

Fall Blooms

2008-10-26T13:43:00.000-04:00

Okay, so my significant other "weeded out" most of my yellow and lavender mums in the front yard and threw them away. !#$%!. That was in the spring, by the way. But I'm promised purged plants will be replanted elsewhere in the future.

So, what's blooming at the end of October? Mums of course, the red and lavender ones that survived in the front and a great big mum bush of red-with-yellow centers in the back yard. Also, those two knock out rose bushes I planted about a month ago are blooming nicely, with double red rose petals. They are still small bushes though and I hope they will spread out a bit next summer.

What else blooms this time of year?

Two bright red African impatients are still putting out flowers, and one of the canna lily bulbs I planted finally produced tiny yellow flowers. I don't know if the flowers are miniscule because of the type of canna or because the bushes are new to the soil. Am going to leave them in the ground and hope for a mild winter and big lilies next year. (The Farmer's Alamanac predicts warmer than usual winter temps in Zone 5). Keeping fingers crossed.

My shishigashira, Japanese Lion's Head Maple, has not yet turned color by the way. It is usually the last tree in the yard to change color and will go from a deep green to deep orange.

Knock Out Roses

2008-09-21T20:33:00.000-04:00

i've decided to make it easier to get 9 months of color in the garden, and have put in two red knock out rose bushes in the front. They are supposed to have double the petals but since they are new to my ground, they are testing the air with just single rows of petals right now.

I've just added mushroom compost and will later add fertilizer granules to entice them to develop double petals. If they do well before the frost in November (?), I may just get a couple more for the other side of the yard next year.

No hassle roses, they say, not heirloom, but then who wants roses in the front that passersby will be tempted to pick? Knock Outs - the crysanthemums of the rose world! Easy to grow and blooming every time. I just hope they do all they promise!

A Bunny for Harvey

2008-08-21T19:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of you who expressed your sympathy when we lost our bichon frise, Harvey. This cheerful bunny somehow is a nice reminder of our little dog.

We bought this statue of an angel hugging a bunny to adorn one of Harvey's favorite corners in the garden.

For pictures of Harvey, visit my book blog, http://www.bookbirddog.blogspot.com/

Money Plant

2008-08-10T18:21:00.000-04:00

I stuck a small branch of Money Plant in a pot with a small Kaffir lime tree and they both em to be thriving out in the sun. The money plant is said to bring good fortune to its owner.

The leaf of the lime tree (the one with the thorns) is used in Thai and Southeast Asian cooking, especially in spicy coconut milk curries.

Contrast of Colors

2008-08-10T18:06:00.000-04:00

These climbing roses usually bloom profusely only in the spring. This year I pruned them back heavily, watered and fertilized, and lo and behold, a fair amount of blooms well into summer.

The contrast in the garden comes from the yellowing leaves of this red Japanese maple. It's still summer in my mind, but these leaves seems to announce fall!

Miracle Come-back

2008-08-10T17:57:00.000-04:00

Note the thin dry stem directly underneath the spray of green on this climbing vine. My significant other takes the credit for making the dry vine of this clematis "miraculously" start sprouting green again. In other words, he applied fertilizer.

Decorative Banana

2008-08-10T17:17:00.000-04:00

This banana tree will most likely not develop blossoms or fruit. A nice tropical touch for a container garden. I'll move it indoors as soon as it gets cooler, some time before fall, just in case...

I lost a lovely 6-ficus tree when we left it out too long and the first fall frost got to it overnight. It didn't survive that one night of cold temperatures.

Green and Black-Eyed Susans

2008-08-05T07:24:00.000-04:00

This flower is called Gloriosa Daisy Prairie Sun. I planted it to add its bright yellow to the garden.

I love the deep purple-brown velvet of the daisy's "eye" which makes it a kind of cone flower black-eyed susan. It's technical name - Rudbeckia hirta "Toto, a perennial flower.

A few more views of green-eyed Rudbeckia daisies.

Couldn't resist putting some yellow among the pink and red flowers in the back yard. Now if I could only find some blue and lavender...

Pink climbing rose

2008-07-29T07:13:00.000-04:00

The new climbing rose has finally gotten strong enough for its flowers to hold up their heads.

Roses and violets

2008-07-29T06:54:00.000-04:00

One of my favorites, the violet of last spring and summer disappeared everywhere else in the yard but reappeared in this pot next to the pink geranium below. One of the color combinations I like best in the garden - purple and yellow.

This rosebush is doing well this year and has over a dozen blooms at the same time. It must like the used coffee grounds I've been putting around its roots.

The rose petals are a deep pink with a pale underside that gives the flower a velvety, lined look and feel.

This pink geranium has done very well outdoors in the sun and heat. It spent the winter months near a basement window and had only a few leaves at best.

Looking down

2008-07-23T20:40:00.000-04:00

The plant has grown into a small tree. It is covered with tiny, fragrant white flowers in the spring. Now, the afternoon sun highlights the new, pale green leaves.

Red Hibiscus

2008-07-23T20:36:00.000-04:00

The first hibiscus to bloom in the yard - this scarlet beauty is perfect.

2008-07-21T07:19:00.000-04:00

My neighbor's violet Rose of Sharon peeps over the back fence.

Can't wait for these hibiscus buds to open up. The saucer-sized flowers are red. I also have white ones with red centers in another part of the yard.

The New Guinea impatiens likes it in the shade.

My attempts to grow tomato plants in a container yields these modest results.

My own Rose of Sharon tree in full bloom.

A "clutch" of daylilies livens up the backyard.

Summer rose

2008-07-20T22:45:00.001-04:00

I love the pale butter yellow of the rose, the pink edging, and the fragrance. I planted this rose bush some years ago before I decided I should save name tags to be able to identify plants later on.

Cleome

2008-07-20T22:22:00.000-04:00

The only flower on this plant, which is about 2 1/2 feet tall, the violet and purple cleome is striking against the green background when you see it during the day. I took this photo with a flash at night. The plant is almost twice the size of a baseball.

Shishigashira, Lion's Head Maple, Fall colors

2008-07-08T21:42:00.000-04:00

I took the picture below of the Japanese Lion's Head Maple last November, when the dark green leaves had turned a bright copper. This tree is partly shaded by an oak and a mulberry tree, and seems to do well. It's only about 6 feet tall. The lion's head maple was a chosen in 2003 as one of the Great Plant Picks of the year.

Click on the pictures to see the mounded, crinkly leaves in detail.

The Shishigashira, fall and summer, is thriving under the shade of taller trees, surrounded by a ground cover that keeps its roots moist.

For a website that has interesting details on the Sacred Lion's Head Maple and the importance of maple trees in Japanese culture, see the website: http://www.paghat.com/lionmaple.html/

Click here for more pictures of the Lion's Head Maple.

Purple and yellow daylily

2008-07-06T11:22:00.000-04:00

The daylilies are beginning to bloom. This unusual variety came from upstate New York, where I got it several years ago at a wayside gardening store.

The climbing rose bush was pruned back mercilessly after its blossoms faded,and it has begun to bloom again. Maybe the mild spring weather and the rains has fooled it into thinking spring is still here. Hopefully, there will be many more buds in summer.

In Someone Else's Garden

2008-07-04T18:00:00.001-04:00

River view

2008-07-04T18:00:00.000-04:00

River View

2008-07-04T17:58:00.000-04:00

Overlooking the river, July 4, from someone's else garden.

River View

2008-07-04T17:56:00.001-04:00

The river behind someone else's back yard, where a smalll sailboat and motor boat are moored.

Groundcover contained

2008-07-04T17:55:00.000-04:00

Groundcover fills up this pot in a friend's garden, on a sunny July 4.

Zinnias, not Marigolds

2008-07-04T17:54:00.000-04:00

Since these are not in my garden, unfortunately, I had a hard time figuring out if they were asters, zinnias, or marigolds. Thanks to Google Images, I found out they are ZINNIAS!! Lovely flowers, which I must add to my own garden come spring.

Pachysandra in filtered light

2008-07-04T17:23:00.000-04:00

Ground cover in my backyard has grown thick and vibrant under shade trees in a moist area that would also be good for iris and plants that like their feet almost wet.

Astible in dappled shade

2008-07-04T17:22:00.001-04:00

Another plant that likes partial shade, astible has different colors than the purple shown here. I have seen pink, pale yellow, and almost white.

Climbing Rose

2008-07-04T17:22:00.000-04:00

A pink climbing rose being held up by the green metal trellis is lolling its head. The full flower isn't supported well by the thin stem. I hope that the older the plant gets, the stronger and thicker the stems will be. I planted it last summer.

July 4, 2008

2008-07-04T17:20:00.000-04:00

I put some of the astible in a small vase next to a Lucky Bamboo plant that's anchored in pebbles in a glass vase. It's been doing well without direct sunlight but with a lot of southern light. A trailing ficus plant is on the shelf next to the window. They say plants do best in a south window.

Shishigashira, Lion's Head Maple

2008-07-04T09:31:00.000-04:00

The entry below was made June 2007 from Book Bird Dog, my first blog, and gets the most hits from readers. I have included it here to start this new, Mostly Gardening blog, Wood and Water, which will be about plants, homegrown and in the wild.

Acer Palmatum Shishigashira

An ojishi in my backyard!!

I bought the unusual maple many years ago (it was expensive! and there were only two in the lot). It's now about 6 feet tall and trying to get taller. I took a close-up shot of its unusual leaves this spring. You can see the leaves curl one on top of the other and give the impression of a shaggy lion's mane. A few of the stems are showing new growth.

The tree sits in a shady spot under a large overhanging oak, and only gets sun part of the day. But it seems to be thriving and is not at all straggly.

Here's what I found about the history of this cultivar:

"After 125 years in cultivation, the famous Lion's Head Maple is still acknowledged as one of the best and most unique Japanese maple cultivars. It is a compact, slow-growing shrub, usually to around 6', though taller trees are possible with good cultivation. By 'compact', we mean that the leaves are closely packed on the twigs, and the twigs closely-packed on the branches. This leads to a tufted look: clusters of leaves alternating with leafless areas of branch. The leaves themselves are small, deep green, and crinkled, thickly textured. No wimpy sunburning here. The transition to fall color is like caterpillar to butterfly, with the deep reds and oranges completely changing the visual effect." from http://worldplants.com/shishi.htm

Click here for more pictures of the Lion's Head Maple.