Acer platanoides
Norway maple
Common names: Norway maple tree
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Pruning
- Jan–Feb
- Flowering
- Apr–May
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Rabensteiner · CC BY 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Norway maple is a native large tree that is often planted in small gardens as a young ornamental tree or along the garden edge, and it requires a lot of space as it ages. Even before leaf‑out in April, it displays yellow‑green flower spikes, one of the earliest bee attractions of the garden year. Its five‑lobed, pointed leaves give it its name and provide a bright golden‑yellow color in autumn. Botanically, the species is Acer platanoides; in the garden you can simply refer to it as the Norway maple. When planting, ensure sufficient distance from paths and neighboring properties, as the crown becomes broad and dense.
Care instructions
The Norway maple prefers a sunny to partially shaded location with deep, fresh soil and tolerates short dry periods after establishment. During the first two to three years, regular watering during dry spells helps, after which the tree largely sustains itself through its deep root system. Prune only when necessary in late summer or winter to shape and control height, as it bleeds heavily in spring after cutting. Remove dead or diseased branches promptly to prevent decay from spreading. A mulch layer of leaf or bark mulch around the root zone keeps the soil moist and suppresses competing vegetation.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringApr–May
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, loamy, nutrient-rich, lime-loving
The Norway maple likes moist to moderately dry soil with good drainage, but being deep-rooted it also copes with leaner sites. It tolerates lime well and grows equally reliably on loamy to sandy loam soils. You should avoid waterlogging; a humus-rich subsoil helps it especially in the first years in place.
Feeding
Light feeder
As a native tree, the Norway maple manages well without additional feeding once it has established. A mulch layer of leaves or bark compost over the root zone supplies it with nutrients for years. In the first two years in place, you can work in some mature compost in spring to support establishment.
Pruning
Prune the Norway maple only in the depths of winter, when the sap flow is at rest, otherwise it bleeds heavily from the cuts. In the first years, a light formative pruning is enough to build a stable crown with a clear leader. Older trees need hardly any intervention; at most remove dead or crossing branches.
Overwintering
The Norway maple is fully hardy in our latitudes and needs no special protection. Young trees benefit from a mulch layer over the root zone in the first winters. A light-coloured trunk wash can prevent frost cracks caused by strong sunshine in late winter on young specimens.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Grafting
Sowing works best with freshly harvested seed, which needs a cold period of several months to germinate, most simply outdoors in a seedbed over winter. Stratified seed can be sown in seed compost in early spring and kept bright but cool. Special cultivars with striking leaf colour are grafted, as they do not come true from seed. Germination often takes several weeks, so be patient.
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