Maples

Red Maple

• The leaves are medium to dark green in summer; fall colour varies from yellow to red-orange.
• A very hardy tree which thrives in full sun and does well in most soil types.
• Medium–fast growing.
• Try Red Sunset® or October Glory® for intense colour.

Sugar Maple

• Best known for producing maple syrup.
• Bright green leaves turn orange, red, and golden yellow in fall.
• Thrives in full shade–full sun.
• Likes well-drained, moderately moist, fertile soil.
• Try Green Mountain® for unique shape.

Columnar Norway Maple

• More compact form of columnar.
• Excellent for street planting and narrow spaces.
• Generally free of pests, disease, and wind damage.

Globe Norway Maple

• A dense, rounded, very symmetrical-growing tree.
• Ideal for height restrictions.
• Dark green leaves in summer, turn to yellow in fall.

Freeman Maple

• A cross between red maple and sugar maple.
• Combines the best attributes of each variety.
• Fast-growing with bright red foliage in fall.

Crimson King Maple

• A variation of the Norway maple, with leaves more red than purple.
• Adapts to all soils, sand, or clay.
• Thrives best in full sun.
• Brilliant, deep maroon foliage from spring to fall.
• Autumn Blaze is a very popular choice.

Harlequin Maple

• Light green leaves edged in white, with some leaves showing a mix of white and green.
• A striking accent tree.

• Amur maple – This variety leafs out in early spring and can be used as a small specimen tree, or a large shrub. Its small, green leaves turn a beautiful scarlet red in October.
• Flame amur maple – This variety is usually a multi-stemmed tree. Its summer colour is green, mixed with bright red ‘helicopters’ in mid summer, and is noted for its fiery red autumn colour. This tree is extremely hardy and drought-resistant once established. The flame amur maple makes an excellent screen or hedge.
• Paperbark maple – This variety prefers partial shade to full sun, and moist, well-drained soil; paperback maples aren’t drought tolerant. This unique specimen has cinnamon-coloured bark that peels in paper thin strips. Its green leaves turn a bright red-orange in October.

• Fertilize in spring with tree fertilizer stakes.
• Pruning must only be done in the summer months, as the sap runs so quickly from late winter to early spring that it will not stop if pruned at the wrong time of year.
• Rake all maple leaves before winter arrives, as accumulation can seriously damage your lawn.

Many maple varieties grow tall and wide, which can cast dense shade.

• If you have grass growing underneath your maple, it may be difficult to maintain a healthy lawn in that area, as the maple takes most of the moisture and nutrients from the soil.
• As your maple matures and the grass diminishes, consider a bed of low maintenance ground cover to replace the lawn.
• There are many attractive year-round, broadleaf evergreens to replace with, such as periwinkle, English ivy, or wintercreeper euonymus.
• To alleviate the flatness of a large bed of ground cover, plant clumps of perennials such as hosta or ferns to add height, texture, and colour contrast.

These groups of special maples are considerably smaller with delicate and refined foliage. Japanese maples add grace, elegance, and style to any garden, which explains their enormous popularity.

Upright varieties – These varieties grow taller than they do wide. Their canopies are large with an open-branching form, filled with leaves of all different colours. Exceptional varieties include:

• Bloodgood
• Emperor 1
• Fireglow
• Moonrise™ Full Moon
• Orange Dream
• Pixie
• Skeeters Broom
• Yukon Gold

Laceleaf varieties – These Japanese maples are small, dome-shaped trees with strong, cascading habits. As a group, laceleaf maples are sensitive to wind and hot afternoon sun, as they easily burn at the leaf tips; careful placement is advised. Look for these varieties to add a unique piece to your landscape:

• Baldsmith
• Crimson Queen
• Inaba-shidare
• Red Dragon
• Tamukeyama
• Waterfall

Variegated varieties – Add an extra splash of colour or a crisp contrast to your landscape with any of these unique Japanese maples. The variegation often shows up as white, pink, or peach on otherwise green leaves. Looking like stripes, spots, mottled areas, or even off-coloured margins, the effect in your garden can be breathtaking. Look for these varieties:

• Amber Ghost
• Beni Tsukasa
• Butterfly
• Purple Ghost

Dwarf varieties – These selections are great for containers, raised gardens, and small gardens. Dwarf Japanese maples are slow-growing (compact trees) which mature to about 175cm, depending on the cultivar. Compared to standard varieties, dwarf Japanese maples have small leaves, short internodes, and profuse branching. Look for these varieties:

• Englishtown
• Koto-no-ito
• Mikawa Yatsubusa
• Oregon Sunset
• Ryusen Weeping
• Shidava Gold
• Tattoo

• Plant in a sheltered location (i.e. against the house, garage, fence, or in the shelter of larger plants) as Japanese maples cannot tolerate cold, winter wind, nor can they take the hot, drying wind of summer.
• Plant in an area where your specimen can receive afternoon shade.
• Plant in well-drained, acidic soil (pH 5.5–6.5), that’s rich in organic matter (compost, peat moss, manure); this will keep the soil from drying out.
• Prune only in spring to trim any branches that may have died over the winter.
• Water deeply in mid–late November and cover the root zone with 10 cm (4”) of mulch.