Acer palmatum dissectum

'Goshiki shidare'
Variegated Weeping Japanese Maple

Zones 5-9

‘Goshiki shidare’ is neat, rare variegated Japanese maple with a weeping habit. The pink-red spring color is highlighted by white and pink variegation. This can revert. We graft from the most heavily variegated branches to insure the best variegation. Then it is up to the gardener. Heavily variegated foliage should be promoted by removing any solid colored branching a few weeks after the first and second flushes of growth. Stay away from fertilizing or trying to make ‘Goshiki shidare’ vigorous. Faster growth will promote more reversions. During the summer, the pink red color matures to a clear green with white variegation. Fall color on ‘Goshiki shidare’ starts out as a yellow, then turning to a brighter orange. 

We often get asked how are ‘Toyama nishiki’ and ‘Goshiki shidare’ different as some books declare them as synonymous. These two cultivars  do get confused some in the nursery trade which adds to the confusion. While ‘Toyama nishiki’ and ‘Goshiki shidare’ are similar, from our experience  they are in fact different. ‘Goshiki shidare’ tends to hold its pink red spring color longer than ‘Toyama nishiki’ when grown side by side. ‘Toyama nishiki’ often retains a more bronze green color in the summer months, while ‘Goshiki shidare’ may turn a brighter green for the summer. Also ‘Toyama nishiki’ and ‘Goshiki shidare’ may have similar fall colors, but ‘Toyama nishiki’ takes starts out yellow, but takes longer to turn orange than ‘Goshiki shidare’ when grown in the exact same environment. Again, grown in different conditions, they may appear similar, but this is our experience when grown near each other.

Limited Quantities Available !! As we have over a thousand cultivars of Japanese maples, we often do not have many of each cultivar. We recommend that you buy Japanese maples you want immediately as we often sell out of certain selections.