Are You Looking For Japanese Maple Trees for Your Yard?
Most people use them as specimen trees , although they are also used in bonsai. They bloom in spring, and this is when the red in their foliage is sometimes at its brightest. The color darkens in summer to burgundy, or even darker. Although their leaves can become even showier in autumn than in summer, their foliage is attractive for a full three seasons of the year.
Japanese maples are prized for their beauty and the diversity of their size, color, and leaf structure. The slow-growing trees are especially beloved by gardeners, who use them for landscaping, decoration, and even botanical art like shaping. If you’re considering bringing in a japanese maple to beautify your yard or garden, your selection will depend primarily on the growing conditions in your area and your intended use for the tree.
How to Pick a Tree to Plant
Japanese red maples are relatively easy to care for. They aren’t picky about soil, as long as it’s well-drained. They are even somewhat drought tolerant. Only when temperatures rise and rainfall is scarce, do these trees require special attention. At this time it’s best to make sure the soil is kept moist, though not soggy. Additionally, if your tree is planted in an unprotected location, it will need shielding from high winds and frost.
Japanese red maples do best with at least four hours of sunshine a day and tolerate partial shade. Fertilizing is necessary as it promotes growth, and may result in spindly limbs. Pruning may be done throughout the year as needed, though it’s best to refrain from cutting tender new growth, typically in the spring. It’s also advisable to wait until high temperatures have passed before pruning, as leaves and branches are essential to storing moisture.
<Japanese maples grow wild across the hills of japan, korea and into mongolia and russia too. As a wild tree it grows 20-35 feet tall, occasionally more, and usually has several trunks, rather than a single central trunk. The bark is smooth and gray on older limbs, but green, red or sometimes pink on younger shoots. This tree grows in the shade of larger forest trees, which is why it is more shade-tolerant than most other deciduous trees.
Avoid pruning maples in spring as they are bleeders and will lose a large amount of sap. Japanese maples do best in a partly shaded site with a consistent supply of water. Dry soils can lead to leaf scorch.
Landscapers think outside of the box with japanese maples. That’s because they are available in a variety of shapes, including vase-like with multiple trunks like the bloodgood japanese maple and weeping like the viridis japanese maple. But no matter which variety (and size) you choose, you get a smaller silhouette that fits well into any space.
Although japanese maples do not like waterlogging, particularly young and freshly planted specimens need a lot of water. One reason for this is that these shrubs are flat-rooted and therefore do not reach moisture from deeper soil layers. This means that they can not adequately supply themselves with the precious water, especially in summer.