Acer palmatum Wilson's Pink Dwarf - Japanese Maple

The 'Wilson's Pink Dwarf' Acer palmatum is a small variety of Japanese maple with delightfully tangy shades. Its small palmate leaves, with 5 lobes, are a salmon to bright orange colour in spring, lime green in summer, and pinkish orange and crimson red in autumn. This cultivar also has decorative, shiny green and tender wood. With an upright and open habit and dense foliage, it does not exceed 1.5m in height at maturity. It is tolerant and easy to grow, in non-scorching sun if the soil remains moist or in partial shade.

Native to eastern China, Korea, and Japan, Acer palmatum is the origin of a multitude of horticultural varieties that rival in beauty. The Japanese maple now belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae family (formerly classified in the Aceraceae family). Acer palmatum is native to the Far East (China, Japan, Korea...) where it forms small trees with graceful habit and highly dissected palmate leaves. Highly appreciated for its foliage, harmoniously moving in the breeze, it has been cultivated for several hundred years in Japan, in gardens or shaped as bonsai.

Acer palmatum 'Wilson's Pink Dwarf' is a slow-growing and compact shrub, as its name suggests. At maturity, it reaches about 1.20m to 1.50m in height and 1.80m in width. Its upright and bushy habit is very graceful and it bears small, well-cut palmate leaves. In spring, they have a beautiful orange hue that turns to lime green during summer. Then in autumn, it's the grand finale, the foliage turns orange or scarlet red, attracting all eyes before falling to the ground.
Acer palmatum 'Wilson's Pink Dwarf' is not strictly speaking an acid soil plant, but it prefers humus-rich, moist soils. It can grow in acidic to neutral soil, but not in limestone soil, as it may develop chlorosis. It is sensitive to atmospheric drought and thrives in oceanic climates, provided it is protected from wind and afternoon sun.

Its small size and hardiness (around -20°C) allow this 'Wilson's Pink Dwarf' Japanese maple to be grown almost anywhere, except in hot and dry climates where its foliage may suffer. Given its small size, it is suited for container cultivation with regular watering. It is a very easy shrub to combine in borders, where it should be placed in the foreground due to its small size. To maintain a Japanese-inspired spirit, you can associate it with Camellias with sumptuous flowers, charming Pieris or Japanese Andromedas. There are plenty of choices in this category, including shrubs which are lesser-known, despite their ornamental qualities such as Kalmias with unique flowers or the charming little Enkianthus campanulatus with small bell-shaped flowers.