General Culture:
Easily grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Prefers lightly sun dappled part shade. Avoid hot and dry sites. Leaves may scorch in full sun in hot southern summers. Plant in a location protected from strong winds.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
Native to Japan and Korea, Japanese maple is a multi-stemmed shrub or single-stemmed small tree that typically grows to 10-25’ tall. General plant form is rounded to broad-rounded, often with low-branching. Palmate (5-9 lobes), green leaves are 2-5” long. Small reddish-purple flowers in umbels bloom in mid spring. As with many maples, the flowers are rather attractive close up, but are not particularly showy from a distance. Flowers are followed by samaras (to 3/4” long) that ripen in September-October. Fall color includes shades of yellow, red-purple or bronze. Cultivars (often grafted) are quite variable.
Problems: Click for detailed list of pests and problems.
No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to stem canker. Verticillium wilt may also occur. Watch for scale, mites and aphids. Foliage tends to leaf out early in spring and is subject to damage from late spring frosts.
Uses:
Japanese maples are generally grown for their attractive foliage and shape. Specimen/accent or group around the home or yard or periphery of the border or rock garden. Multi-stemmed shrub form is effective in small groupings in shrub borders. Bonsai.
© Missouri Botanical
Garden, 2001-2010
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