Japanese Maples

The Japanese maples are small deciduous trees or large shrubs known and universally appreciated for their silhouette and the flamboyant colours that their foliage takes on in autumn. Well-suited to container cultivation in a suitable substrate, like Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Garnet', they are the undisputed stars of small urban gardens and shaded terraces in Japanese, contemporary, or Zen styles. Belonging to the Acer genus and the Sapindaceae family, most of our Japanese maples are derived from nine original species native to Japan, Korea, and China. The most widespread cultivars primarily belong to the two species Acer japonicum and Acer palmatum. Their size does not exceed 1.25 m (4ft) for the smallest varieties such as Acer palmatum 'BloodGood', whilst most Acers reach approximately 5 m (16ft) in height, and the tallest ones reach 10 m (33ft) in height. In Japanese maples, the foliage is a major asset that comes in large, more or less palmate leaves, sometimes finely cut, with variable colours: golden in Acer palmatum 'Aureum', orange in 'Orange Dream', pink or variegated, taking on sumptuous red-orange to purple tones that are truly extraordinary in autumn. Japanese maples generally prefer semi-shaded positions and well-drained, slightly acidic, and moist soils.