Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) – Red Leaf (3L Pot)

Acer palmatum is the Japanese maple, a slow growing small tree whose deeply lobed leaves give a sheltered garden colour from spring to autumn.

This is the red leaved form. The star shaped leaves emerge rich red, take on purple tones through the season and finish in vivid crimson and flame before they fall. Small purple-red flowers appear in spring but the foliage is the point. Expect 2 to 4 metres in height and spread over many years, with a bushy, rounded, elegantly branched shape.

Japanese maples are fully hardy, but the young leaves are easily browned by cold wind and late frost, so give it a sheltered spot in partial shade rather than full sun, where the foliage can scorch. It is happy in a container for years in a loam based or ericaceous compost, or in a moist, well drained border. Keep the roots from drying out in summer. Pruning is minimal: remove dead or crossing branches in late autumn or winter.

It is supplied as an established tree in a 3 litre nursery pot. You can also choose to have it in one of our planters instead of the nursery pot; the planter is a decorative pot only and does not change the plant.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Japanese maple
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 2 to 4m x 2 to 4m, slow growing
• Growth Habit: Bushy, rounded, slow growing deciduous tree
• Perfect For: Patio containers, courtyards, sheltered borders, Japanese style gardens, small gardens
• Foliage: Deeply palmate, star shaped leaves in rich red-purple, intensifying to crimson in autumn
• Flowering Time: Spring, small and inconspicuous
• Planting Position: Partial shade, sheltered from cold wind and late frost; suits a container
• Soil Type: Moist, well drained and humus rich; ericaceous or loam based compost in a pot
• Hardiness: Fully hardy
• Maintenance: Low
• Seasonal Interest: Spring, summer and autumn
• Type: Hardy deciduous tree