Annual resembling a Japanese maple

Which annual resembles a Japanese maple?

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**FULL QUESTION** Dear *Gardening Life*, I recall reading in one of your issues about an annual that will give a similar look to that of a Japanese maple. I have searched all my back issues and just can't find the article. Can you help? *—Tina Lachance*

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**FULL ANSWER** Tina, I don't recall an annual resembling a Japanese maple but I know we have suggested both cutleaf staghorn sumac (*Rhus typhina* 'Laciniata') and fernleaf buckthorn (*Rhamnus frangula* 'Asplenifolia') as beautiful and hardier replacements for Japanese maples. There was some concern that the buckthorn might be as invasive as the regular species but so far we have not heard of it becoming a pest. Both plants should be quite widely available (I'm not sure where you are located, but ask at your local garden centre). Another possibility is Trost's dwarf birch (*Betula pendula* 'Trost's Dwarf') which has a very fine Japanese-maple-like texture but grows slowly to just three or four feet at 10 years. So if size counts, that might be one to consider. Good luck! *—Karen York, Botanical Editor* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Buying exotic plants in Toronto Preventing brown leaf spot Information on peony-flowered poppies Tips for growing tulips and lilies When to move irises Maintaining blue spruces The best way to grow gunneras Getting rid of sawfly larvae on roses Eliminating earwigs from clematis flowers Beetle damage to spruce trees Removing whiteflies from hibiscus leaves Building a cactus garden Maintaining redbud trees Maintaining Boston ivy growth Using black walnut leaves for mulch Stopping powdery mildew on maples Planting trees near a swale Growing on a septic field How to battle weeds between flagstone and alternative options Mysterious orange powder on the lawn What to do with end-of-season potatoes on the vine How to control Japanese knotweed What to grow in a dry area The proper way to plant astrantia What is the star flower and how do I manage it? How do I eliminate my ant problem? Preventing red beetles from attacking lilies Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees

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