Acer palmatum
Japanese maple
Common names: Palmate maple
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy with protection
- Pruning
- Aug–Sep
- Flowering
- Apr–May
Photo: Kurt Stüber [1] · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
The Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is a delicate dwarf shrub with finely cut, hand-shaped leaves that blaze in bright red, orange, or yellow in autumn. It grows slowly and remains compact even after many years, making it ideal for small gardens, containers, and front yards. In late spring, inconspicuous, small reddish flowers appear, providing a welcome food source for insects. Cultivars such as 'Atropurpureum' or 'Dissectum' add deep red or finely dissected foliage to the garden.
Care instructions
Plant the Japanese maple in a partially shaded, wind‑protected spot, as full midday sun and drafts can quickly brown the delicate leaf edges. The soil should be humus‑rich, loose, and kept evenly moist; the plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Water regularly during the first few years and on hot summer days, and apply a mulch layer to retain moisture around the roots. Prune only when necessary in late autumn or winter to avoid bleeding wounds, removing only dead or crossing branches. Young plants benefit from light protection in their first winter with a layer of leaf litter or frost cloth around the base of the trunk.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringApr–May
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, loamy, lime-avoiding
The Japanese maple likes loose, humus-rich soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged. On heavy, compacted loam it grows sluggishly, so a portion of compost and fine bark mulch helps at planting. It tolerates calcareous soils poorly, which quickly shows in pale leaves. A wind-sheltered site in partial shade also protects the fine roots.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar, May
A thin layer of mature leaf compost in early spring is usually enough for the Japanese maple for the whole season. If you like, give a second, small application of compost directly in the root zone in mid-May, without touching the trunk. This undemanding species needs nothing more; too many nutrients drive soft shoots prone to frost damage.
Pruning
The Japanese maple bleeds heavily if pruned in spring, so it is best to prune in late summer, weeks 32 to 36. Remove only what really bothers you: crossing or inward-growing branches, so that the beautiful structure of the crown stays visible. Large cuts are rarely needed; a restrained thinning cut is usually enough for this species for a lifetime.
Overwintering
Overwinter young Japanese maples in pots frost-free in a bright, cool place, or wrap the pot well with fleece and hessian. Planted-out, established specimens usually tolerate our winters without protection, but cover sites at risk of late frost in spring with fleece if frost threatens after new growth. A mulch layer over the root zone also protects against freezing through.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
- Grafting
- Layering
True-to-type Japanese maples are mostly grafted in late summer; this is the most reliable method for gardeners with some practice. Semi-ripe cuttings in summer root with patience and high humidity, though not equally well in every variety. You take layering from low-growing branches, which takes one to two years to root. Sowing your own seed often gives colourful seedlings that differ from the mother plant, which is exactly their charm.
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