Each fall, Bainbridge is treated to the magical autumnal leaves of the island’s stunning Japanese maples.
“They figure so prominently in both Japanese and Northwest gardening,” said arborist Ian Bentryn, widely recognized as an island tree authority. Bentryn maintains Bainbridge Public Library’s Haiku Garden, where he tends its celebrated lace leaf maples, in addition to working at many private homes on the island.
Bentryn explained that there are around half a dozen kinds of Japanese maples, but that within Acer palmatum, its most common species, there are at least 400 recognized varieties with a wide spectrum of colors, leaf patterns and growth habits. “You could say that for almost any garden situation, if you wanted a Japanese maple, there’s probably one that would fit what you need in that spot.”
One of Bentryn’s favorite trees on the island is a red Japanese maple near Hawley Cove. “It must be nearly a foot thick at the base,” he said. “A tree like that takes easily five hours a year just to do the maintenance pruning.”
Bentryn, who moved to the island in 1977 at age 10, feels fortunate to live in a place where people have such an interest in gardening and prioritize it so highly. “No one thinks you’re crazy if you put that much effort into your garden,” he said
