Japanese Maple | Acer Palmatum Trees

Acer palmatum 'Ijoshi' is a distinctive cultivar of the Japanese maple, prized for its elegant structure and unique seasonal colour changes. This small deciduous tree or large shrub is native to Japan, Korea, and parts of China, but is widely cultivated in temperate gardens across the UK due to its ornamental appeal and manageable size.

The 'Ijoshi' variety is particularly notable for its deeply divided, palmate leaves that emerge in spring with a soft, almost creamy-yellow hue. As the season progresses, the foliage transforms to shades of green with pinkish margins, eventually deepening into warm oranges and reds during the autumn months. This striking colour transition makes it a favourite among gardeners seeking year-round interest.

Growing typically to a height and spread of around 2 to 4 metres over ten years, Acer palmatum 'Ijoshi' is well-suited to smaller gardens, containers, or as a feature in Japanese-inspired landscapes. Its graceful, layered branching habit adds architectural interest, even during the winter when the tree is bare.

This cultivar prefers a sheltered position with dappled shade, protected from harsh winds and excessive sun, which can scorch the delicate leaves. Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soils are ideal for healthy growth. Minimal pruning is required, though shaping in late summer can help maintain its form.

Acer palmatum 'Ijoshi' is a low-maintenance yet striking ornamental tree that rewards with changing beauty throughout the seasons. It is especially appreciated for its subtle spring tones and fiery autumn display, bringing both serenity and vibrancy to garden spaces. In the UK climate, it performs reliably given the right conditions, making it a valuable choice for discerning gardeners.

The Acer palmatum 'Garnet is a captivating and popular deciduous tree renowned for its stunning foliage. This small, graceful tree features deeply dissected leaves with a delicate, lacy appearance, emerging as vibrant wine-red in the spring. Throughout the summer, the foliage maintains its rich garnet hue, providing a striking contrast against the greenery of other plants. In autumn, the leaves transition to a firey orange-red, adding a spectacular splash of colour to the landscape.

Royal Garnet has a vigorous, spreading habit, resulting in the formation of a mound-shaped shrub that will look breath-taking in any type of landscape.This acer starts with an upright, dense growth habit, slowly growing into a somewhat wider shape at five years of age. It thrives in well-drained, slightly acidic soil and prefers a sheltered location with partial shade, although it can tolerate full sun if given adequate moisture.

This cultivar is relatively low-maintenance, requiring minimal pruning to maintain its shape and health. It is also resistant to most pests and diseases. The Acer palmatum 'Royal Garnet' is highly valued for its year-round interest and ability to provide a touch of elegance and serenity to any garden setting. Its unique foliage and compact form make it a perfect addition to Japanese-style gardens, rockeries, and mixed borders.

Acer palmatum 'Orange Dream' is a captivating variety of Japanese Maple renowned for its eye-catching color transitions through the seasons. It typically exhibits vibrant orange-yellow foliage in spring, subtly transforming to a soft, light green as summer approaches. This stunning foliage coloration is accentuated with a contrasting network of delicate, dark red veins running through the leaves, contributing to its ornamental value.

In autumn, ‘Orange Dream’ puts on a spectacular display as the leaves transmute to a brilliant gold, sometimes with shades of red, providing a lasting impression before they fall. It's a compact, bushy, deciduous tree, making it an ideal choice for smaller gardens or for growing in containers. Additionally, it’s relatively slow-growing, reaching a height of approximately 3-4 meters over a 10-year period, ensuring manageability.

This variety prefers a sheltered location, avoiding the harshest midday sun, and appreciates well-draining, acidic to neutral soil. Providing adequate protection from strong winds and extreme temperatures will help in maintaining its vibrant leaf color and overall health. Regular watering, particularly in drier periods, is crucial, although it is important to avoid waterlogged conditions.

The aesthetic appeal and manageable size of 'Orange Dream' make it a popular choice among gardeners seeking to add a touch of drama and sophistication to their landscapes.

Acer palmatum 'Phoenix' is a stunning deciduous tree that belongs to the Aceraceae family. This particular cultivar of the Japanese maple is a popular ornamental plant and is prized for its vibrant, fiery foliage. 'Phoenix' has a unique combination of shades of red, orange, and yellow that make it stand out in any landscape. Its leaves are deeply lobed and have a delicate, lacy appearance that adds an elegant touch to any garden.

At maturity, Acer palmatum 'Phoenix' typically reaches a height of around 3 meters (10 feet) and a spread of approximately 2.5 meters (8 feet). Its growth rate is relatively slow, so it is perfect for small to medium-sized gardens. This compact size makes it an ideal choice for container planting, and it can also be grown as a stunning focal point in a mixed border. When placed in a prominent location in a garden, the brilliant fall colors of 'Phoenix' are sure to attract attention and provide a visual feast for the eyes.

Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium', commonly known as the Fernleaf Full Moon Maple, is a stunning deciduous tree cherished for its striking foliage and remarkable autumn display. Native to Japan, this variety is celebrated for its deeply lobed, fern-like leaves which provide a delicate, lacy texture that adds a unique aesthetic to any garden.

In spring and summer, the leaves emerge with a soft green hue, creating a serene and refreshing presence. As the seasons transition to autumn, 'Aconitifolium' truly shines. Its foliage transforms into a spectacular array of vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, making it one of the most brilliant autumnal displays among maples. This transformation adds a dynamic and fiery focal point to gardens, capturing the essence of the changing seasons.

'Aconitifolium' typically reaches a height and spread of 3 to 4 meters, making it suitable for smaller gardens as well as larger landscapes. It thrives in well-drained, moist soil and prefers partial shade, although it can tolerate full sun if provided with adequate moisture. Its compact size and slow growth rate make it an excellent choice for urban gardens, patios, and container planting.

This maple is not only admired for its foliage but also for its elegant, spreading habit and attractive branching structure, which provide year-round interest. Whether as a specimen tree or part of a mixed border, Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' brings a touch of elegance and seasonal drama to any garden setting in the UK.

The Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood', commonly known as the Bloodgood Japanese Maple, is a stunning ornamental tree highly valued for its striking red foliage and elegant form. This deciduous tree typically reaches a height and spread of 4.5-6 metres, making it an excellent choice for small to medium-sized gardens. Its deep burgundy leaves emerge in spring, maintaining their vibrant colour throughout the summer before transitioning to a brilliant crimson in autumn. The Bloodgood is known for its hardiness and adaptability, thriving in RHS hardiness zones H5-H6. It prefers well-drained soil and partial to full sun exposure. This tree is not only aesthetically pleasing but also low-maintenance, requiring minimal pruning and care. Ideal for use as a focal point, in mixed borders, or as a specimen tree, the Bloodgood Japanese Maple adds year-round interest and elegance to any garden in the UK.

Acer palmatum dissectum, commonly known as the laceleaf Japanese maple, is a popular ornamental tree renowned for its intricate, finely divided foliage. This deciduous shrub or small tree is part of the Aceraceae family and originates from Japan, Korea, and China. It typically grows to a height of 2 to 3 meters (6 to 10 feet) with a similar spread, making it a perfect choice for small gardens and container planting.

The leaves of Acer palmatum dissectum are deeply lobed and serrated, resembling delicate lace. Throughout the seasons, the foliage transitions from a vibrant green in spring and summer to spectacular shades of red, orange, and purple in autumn, providing year-round interest. The tree's cascading, weeping habit adds an elegant and graceful element to any landscape design.

Acer palmatum dissectum prefers a position in partial shade with well-drained, moist soil. It is relatively low-maintenance, requiring minimal pruning to maintain its shape. This tree is also known for its resilience to pests and diseases. Its compact size and striking appearance make it an excellent choice for adding structure and color to garden borders, patios, and rockeries in British gardens.

Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan' is a distinctive, narrow, and upright tree, a unique cultivar of the Full Moon Maple. It's renowned for its striking golden-yellow foliage that shimmers in the light, bringing a vibrant splash of color to any garden, particularly in spring and autumn when the colors are most intense.

This tree typically reaches a height of about 10 to 15 feet, making it a compact and manageable addition to landscapes, perfect for smaller gardens or spaces where a broader canopy isn't suitable. Its upright growth habit, combined with its colorful presence, allows it to serve as an exquisite focal point or a complementary accent within diverse landscapes.

The leaves of 'Jordan' are particularly notable for their beauty; they exhibit a delicate and intricate texture, displaying a refined serration on the margins. In addition to its attractive foliage, the tree offers a subtle yet enchanting display of red flowers in spring, adding another layer of visual interest.

Resilient and relatively low-maintenance, Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan' is well-suited to a variety of soil types and conditions, although it prefers a sheltered location to protect its foliage from harsh winds and extreme sun, which can scorch the leaves. It's a radiant embodiment of horticultural elegance, combining form, texture, and color to create visual harmony within the garden.

The Acer palmatum 'Garnet', commonly known as the Japanese Maple 'Garnet', is a captivating and popular deciduous tree renowned for its stunning foliage. This small, graceful tree features deeply dissected leaves with a delicate, lacy appearance, emerging as vibrant crimson-red in the spring. Throughout the summer, the foliage maintains its rich garnet hue, providing a striking contrast against the greenery of other plants. In autumn, the leaves transition to a brilliant scarlet, adding a spectacular splash of color to the landscape.

'Garnet' grows slowly, typically reaching a height and spread of 2-3 meters, making it an excellent choice for smaller gardens, patios, or as a focal point in larger landscapes. It thrives in well-drained, slightly acidic soil and prefers a sheltered location with partial shade, although it can tolerate full sun if given adequate moisture.

This cultivar is relatively low-maintenance, requiring minimal pruning to maintain its shape and health. It is also resistant to most pests and diseases. The Acer palmatum 'Garnet' is highly valued for its year-round interest and ability to provide a touch of elegance and serenity to any garden setting. Its unique foliage and compact form make it a perfect addition to Japanese-style gardens, rockeries, and mixed borders.

Acer palmatum 'Inaba-Shidare' is a sought-after Japanese Maple variety known for its remarkable, intricate foliage and distinctive growth habit. This particular specimen sports an 80cm clear stem, supporting a weeping head, bringing the overall height of the tree to 110cm. It epitomizes graceful elegance with its cascading branches cloaked in deeply dissected, feather-like leaves. The leaves are a striking purplish-red, intensifying to a brilliant crimson come autumn, offering a vibrant spectacle. It is relatively compact, making it a superb choice for smaller gardens or growing in containers. It’s well-suited to creating focal points within landscapes, providing both visual appeal and architectural structure. Its rugged charm is highlighted when placed against a backdrop of evergreens or contrasting foliage, where its intricate silhouette becomes a living sculpture. A lover of well-drained, fertile soils and partial shade, ‘Inaba-Shidare’ requires protection from harsh winds and excessive sun to maintain the integrity of its delicate foliage. During winter, its dormant, twisted limbs add an additional layer of interest, hinting at its robust nature beneath a seemingly delicate demeanor. This exquisite blend of strength and beauty makes the Acer palmatum 'Inaba-Shidare' a beloved addition to diverse horticultural designs.

Acer palmatum 'Orange Dream' is a captivating variety of Japanese Maple renowned for its eye-catching colour transitions through the seasons. It typically exhibits vibrant orange-yellow foliage in spring, subtly transforming to a soft, light green as summer approaches. This stunning foliage coloration is accentuated with a contrasting network of delicate, dark red veins running through the leaves, contributing to its ornamental value.

In autumn, ‘Orange Dream’ puts on a spectacular display as the leaves transmute to a brilliant gold, sometimes with shades of red, providing a lasting impression before they fall. It's a compact, bushy, deciduous tree, making it an ideal choice for smaller gardens or for growing in containers. Additionally, it’s relatively slow-growing, reaching a height of approximately 3-4 meters over a 10-year period, ensuring manageability.

This variety prefers a sheltered location, avoiding the harshest midday sun, and appreciates well-draining, acidic to neutral soil. Providing adequate protection from strong winds and extreme temperatures will help in maintaining its vibrant leaf colour and overall health. Regular watering, particularly in drier periods, is crucial, although it is important to avoid waterlogged conditions.

The aesthetic appeal and manageable size of 'Orange Dream' make it a popular choice among gardeners seeking to add a touch of drama and sophistication to their landscapes.

Acer palmatum, commonly known as the Japanese maple, is a cherished ornamental tree known for its graceful form and striking seasonal colors. This versatile species features delicate, finely-lobed leaves that display vibrant colors from spring through fall. In spring, new foliage often emerges in shades of light green or red, deepening over summer before transforming into brilliant hues of orange, red, and yellow in autumn. Typically reaching heights of 10-25 feet, Acer palmatum has an elegant, spreading structure that suits small gardens, shaded areas, and container planting. Thriving in well-drained soil with partial shade, it is both low-maintenance and hardy. With its stunning colors and delicate shape, Acer palmatum adds year-round interest, making it a popular choice in landscaping worldwide.

Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki' is a distinct cultivar of Japanese Maple notable for its stunning autumn foliage, which transforms into brilliant shades of fiery red. This deciduous tree has an elegant, rounded form and typically reaches a height and spread of 15-20 feet, making it a spectacular feature in gardens, especially in autumn.

The leaves of 'Osakazuki' are palmate and lobed, displaying a lush green color through spring and summer, before their autumn transformation. These leaves have a uniquely refined texture, enhancing its aesthetic appeal throughout the growing season.

Ideal for small gardens, 'Osakazuki' prefers well-drained, moist soils and sheltered locations to protect its delicate foliage from harsh winds. It can thrive in full sun to partial shade, but for the best autumn color, a location with more sunlight is preferable.

This tree is relatively low-maintenance but benefits from regular watering, especially in dryer periods, and mulching to maintain soil moisture. Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki' is highly resistant to pests and diseases, making it a robust choice for a wide range of landscapes. The vivid, extended display of autumn color, coupled with its graceful growth habit, renders 'Osakazuki' a coveted choice among garden enthusiasts.