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. Prune out non-variegated foliage.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
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. ‘Butterfly’ is an upright, shrubby form with variegated foliage that typically grows to only 7-12’ tall. Palmate, 5-lobed, deeply divided leaves (to 3” long) are gray-green with creamy white margins that are often edged with pink in spring. White portions of the leaves turn scarlet to magenta in fall. Leaves are sometimes twisted. Small reddish-purple flowers in spring are somewhat attractive on close inspection, but are not showy from a distance. Flowers are followed by samaras that ripen in September-October.
Problems: Click for detailed list of pests and problems.
No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to stem canker and leaf spots. Verticillium wilt may also occur. Watch for borers, scale, mites and aphids. Scorch may occur in hot sun locations with wind exposure. 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. May be grown in tubs/patio containers. Bonsai.
© Missouri Botanical
Garden, 2001-2009
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