THE COASTAL GARDENER:

Ryan Frederick likes plants. He lives alone in Chesapeake, Va., in a small house that is modestly landscaped. He designed the backyard landscape himself. He calls himself an amateur gardener. But, in most ways, gardening in Chesapeake is quite different than gardening here in Orange County.

In January, he was growing some tomatoes and even a banana in his garage, using artificial lights. And he was learning how to grow young Japanese maples, also under artificial lights. The tomatoes and banana were fine, but his interest in growing Japanese maples proved to be his downfall.

At 8:30 on the night of Jan. 17 he was already asleep, but was awakened by someone trying to enter the house through his front door. He had been burglarized a few days earlier. Scared, during a few seconds of terribly poor judgment, he opened fire on the unexpected intruder, striking him.

It turns out, the intruder was undercover police Det. Jarrod Shivers, who was interested in the plants in Ryan’s garage. Shivers was dead, and Frederick would soon be charged with first-degree murder.

The detective, along with several officers waiting outside in the garden, were performing a drug raid; responding to an unnamed informant’s claim that Frederick, 28, was growing marijuana plants. Turns out, there were no marijuana plants growing in his garage; instead, they were similar-looking young Japanese maple trees.

At a later interview Ryan said he was sleeping in a back bedroom because his job as a soft drink merchandiser required him to get up daily at 4 a.m. He woke up because his dogs, Dora and Bud, “were barking like crazy. They’re going, like, really crazy, so I grab my gun. As I’m walking through the hall, someone comes busting through my door.”

He said intruders were pushing through the door. The lighting in the house was dim. “I was like, ‘Oh, God, if I don’t shoot, then he’s going to kill me’ I think I shot twice. I can’t remember. It happened so fast. All I know is the gun jammed.” All this, over a few small Japanese maples.

Fortunately, in Orange County Japanese maples don’t need to be grown under lights or in a heated garage. A garden will do just fine. In fact, in our gardens Japanese maples are now waking up, expanding their delicate red or green leaves in the warming light and lengthening days.

Japanese maples supply lacy, delicate foliage; dramatic, sculptural branches or weeping, cascading forms. They make superb container plants, but can also grow in the garden, as the late Flo Ota De Lange demonstrated in her Fountain Valley garden. For 35 years, Flo tended to her famous garden, which included nearly 100 superb Japanese maples.

In our area, Japanese maples will be happiest in the light-dappled shade of tall trees. They like the protection from hot winds and the extra humidity that large trees around them provide.

In addition to dry winds, Japanese maples don’t like poor-quality water, and we have plenty of that. The best way to overcome this is to plant them in a deep, raised bed of humus-rich soil. This loose, well-drained soil will allow the water to flow through the root zone and not accumulate toxic salts and other minerals.

Finally, don’t feed Japanese maples much. They’re not heavy feeders, and homeowners often feed them more than they need, resulting in more leaf burn and disorganized growth. When you do feed them, don’t use synthetic, chemical fertilizers, which are high in salt. Use a mild, organic fertilizer that is somewhat acidic. Cottonseed meal or an organic azalea food is fine.

In jail last week, Frederick said he’s not a “drug lord,” but a scared, 100-pound man who thought someone was breaking into his home. Shivers was an eight-year veteran with a wife and three children. He served in the Navy before joining the police department.

“He’s not a killer,” said Frederick’s aunt Sheryl Morales. “He knew someone was in his house, and he shot.”

ASK RON

Question: How large does a “Tiny Tower” Italian cypress grow?

Eric

Newport Coast

Answer: A compact form of the popular Italian cypress is much more likely to be in scale with most residential gardens. The full size of this plant is still not known, since the oldest plants are still only about 20 years. It grows about half the rate of its more robust brother, and most experts believe that it will be about half as large as well. “Tiny Tower” also has a slightly denser, more refined appearance. A good choice.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar.