Acer campestre
Field maple
Common names: Hedge maple
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Pruning
- Feb–Mar
- Flowering
- Apr–May
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: David Perez · CC BY 3.0 · Source
Description
The field maple (Acer campestre) is a native shrub or small tree commonly found in hedgerows. It grows densely and can be easily shaped. In autumn its small, lobed leaves turn bright yellow before falling. Bees and other insects visit its modest but nectar-rich spring flowers, and birds find shelter and nesting sites in its dense branches.
Care instructions
Plant the field maple between October and March when the soil is not frozen, in a sunny to partially shaded location. Water regularly during the first one to two years after planting; thereafter it tolerates drier periods well. As a hedge plant it can withstand a vigorous late‑winter pruning (late February to early March, week 8‑10), after which it reliably regrows. A mulch layer of leaf litter or wood chips keeps the root zone moist and suppresses weeds. No special winter protection is needed for this hardy variety.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringApr–May
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lime-loving, loamy, dry
The field maple likes free-draining, rather calcareous soil and also copes well with dry, poor sites. It tolerates waterlogging poorly, so a slightly raised position or a gravel drainage is suitable. On loamy soils it grows more vigorously, as long as water can drain away well.
Feeding
Light feeder
As a robust wild tree species, the field maple needs practically no extra feeding. A mulch layer of leaf compost in spring is quite enough to supply the soil with nutrients. On poor sites you can work some well-rotted compost around the root zone in autumn.
Pruning
In the first few years, formative pruning is worthwhile to build a stable crown structure and remove competing leaders. Prune in late winter before new growth, while the sap flow is still quiet. Older field maples do well without regular pruning; occasionally thinning out dead branches is then quite enough.
Overwintering
The field maple is completely hardy in Central Europe and needs no special protection. Young trees benefit in their first winter from a layer of mulch over the root zone so that the soil does not freeze too deeply. From the second year in place it manages without any winter help.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
- Layering
Propagation is most reliable from the winged seeds, which you collect in autumn and stratify cool and moist over winter. Sown in spring, they germinate reliably in a partly shaded spot. Layering suits individual young shoots, which you fix to the ground until they form their own roots. Cuttings of semi-ripe shoots in summer also root with some patience, but need even moisture.
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