
Japanese dwarf maples: best varieties
to grow in pots or small gardens
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Japanese maples are bushes with finely divided foliage, which takes various hues depending on variety: green, red, purple, brown, variegated… The colour of the foliage evolves through the seasons, generally becoming red or orange in autumn. They are graphic plants that suit contemporary gardens and Asian-style gardens. Japanese maples have an impeccable, very elegant silhouette! Some varieties, more compact than others, are suitable for small gardens or for container cultivation, for example on a terrace or in a patio. They measure between 1.40 m and 2 m, while other varieties of Japanese maples can reach up to 10 m in height. They will thrive if you plant them in partial shade, in a fresh, rich, well-draining, slightly acidic soil. As they are naturally small, they are also ideal varieties for creating bonsai! Although Japanese maples generally do not need pruning, you can prune these varieties to make them even more compact and limit growth. Some of these dwarf varieties are distinguished by the fineness of their foliage, others by their pronounced colours, others again by their habit, erect or trailing. Discover our selection and find the ideal variety for your garden!
Acer palmatum 'Dissectum'
Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ is a handsome maple with flexible, arching branches, giving it a fairly flattened dome. It is therefore very broad and spreading, reaching up to 2 metres in height and spread at most. Its unusual architecture makes it particularly suited to zen and Asian-style gardens! This maple is also prized for its superb foliage, very finely dissected, appearing laciniate. Leaves are green, turning orange in autumn. They are 6 to 8 cm long and divided into 5 or 7 narrow lobes. In spring it bears small red flowers, rather inconspicuous, and in autumn winged fruits (samaras). You can pair it with Ophiopogons, bamboos, Hakonechloa, cloud-pruned pines (niwaki), Nandina domestica…
Acer palmatum 'Ornatum'
Acer palmatum ‘Ornatum’ is a maple that remains relatively low and takes a spreading, trailing habit. It forms a dome carrying leaves from top of bush to ground, hiding trunk and branches. It is one of most compact varieties, not exceeding 1.50 m in height! That makes it particularly suitable for container planting, to enhance a terrace, for example. Like previous variety, this maple also has leaves cut into very narrow, elongated lobes. They look chiselled, and measure between 5 and 10 cm. It has bronze foliage, which in autumn takes on flamboyant, more vivid hues, offering superb shades of red and orange.
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Acer palmatum ‘Skeeter’s Broom’
‘Skeeter’s Broom’ is also one of the smallest Japanese maples. Unlike previous varieties, it has a very erect habit, giving it a handsome miniature-tree silhouette, not exceeding 1.50 m in height. It bears leaves from base to tip and these are attractively dissected, their lobes however less fine than those of earlier varieties. Leaves take a scarlet-red hue in spring, darken to purplish in summer, then brighten again in autumn to assume a blazing colour. Its leaves therefore never turn green, remaining very colourful all year round in sublime shades of red.
Acer palmatum 'BloodGood'
Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ is a superb Japanese maple that takes an upright, very elegant form, with erect branches reaching up to 2 metres in height. This makes it particularly striking! It seems tailor-made for contemporary and urban gardens, where it will sit well alongside ferns, hostas, bamboos, grasses… It has purplish-red foliage whose hue changes throughout the year. Its leaves take on brighter tones in spring and autumn, while they are darker in summer. They are dissected and form up to 7 lobes, slightly broader than in ‘Dissectum’ varieties. It resembles variety ‘Skeeter’s Broom’ but its foliage is darker.
Acer palmatum 'Red Pygmy'
Japanese maple ‘Red Pygmy’ is a small bush with an erect habit, whose trunk rises to support a rather rounded crown. It is compact, reaching ripeness between 1.50 m and 2 m in height. It has leaves of red–brown colour when young, later becoming green–purple, before taking on a superb orange hue in autumn. It is ideal for adding colour to garden! Its leaves are palmate with very fine linear lobes. It will easily find a place in an architectural garden or in a large container that you place on a patio, alongside horsetails, ferns, hostas…
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