Acer palmatum Deshojo - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Deshojo' is a beautiful deciduous and ever-changing Japanese maple, interesting from spring to autumn. This beautiful bush of 2.5m (8ft) in all directions is adorned with magnificent bright red foliage when it starts to grow, turning green with a hint of purple to reddish in summer, before donning its flamboyant orange-red autumn attire. To admire the spectacle of its morphosis, plant it near the house or in a large container on a terrace. It looks stunning as a standalone in a small garden, or in the centre of an ericaceous bed.

Originally from eastern China, Korea, and Japan, Acer palmatum is the origin of a multitude of horticultural varieties that compete in beauty. Japanese palmate maple belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae family (formerly Aceraceae). It is relatively hardy, but only tolerates limestone-free soils.

The 'Deshojo' cultivar, which grows rather slowly, takes on a bushy and flexible habit over time, as wide as it is tall. This small tree with almost horizontal and trailing branches at their ends has a brown to reddish bark and develops beautiful deciduous leaves, with finely cut palmate shape. The foliage changes colour from spring red to purplish green in summer, and finally to autumn hues. The leaves are opposite, 3 to 6cm (1 to 2in) long, with 7 narrow and pointed lobes. The discreet flowering takes place in May-June. The purple flowers, grouped in small clusters, sometimes produce fruits with curved wings called samaras, 3cm (1in) long.

Acer palmatum 'Deshojo' thrives in preferably acidic, fresh, fertile, loose, and well-drained soil, in a semi-shaded position sheltered from cold and dry winds. Compact yet sculptural, it is well-suited for small gardens, as well as for ornamenting terraces and patios, and for large shaded rockeries. Azaleas, pieris, rhododendrons, wild camellias, and heathers will be its most beautiful companions. It can be trained into a magnificent tray bonsai. Combine several varieties of Japanese maples to vary the colours and structures of the foliage; the effect is always dazzling at the end of the season. Shades of purple and red go wonderfully well with variegated foliage (dogwoods, elaeagnus), or golden yellow as with Gleditsia 'Sunburst', for example.