Acer pseudosieboldianum North Wind - Maple

Acer x pseudosieboldianum 'North Wind' is a revolutionary hybrid variety that combines the charm of the Japanese maple with the extreme hardiness of its other parent, the Korean maple, which is much less known. It is a small tree or large vigorous bush, with palmate foliage in changing tones, fabulous autumn colours, and beautiful summer fruiting. It is extremely easy to grow. Completely insensitive to the rigours of winter, this robust variety is less fragile than the Japanese maple, and it will also tolerate the sun better. 'North Wind', generous and flamboyant, will form a beautiful specimen to enhance the garden, but also to integrate into a large shrub border. 

The 'North Wind' maple ('IslNW') belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae family (formerly Aceraceae). It is the first born of a series of fabulous hybrids called Jack Frost®, developed at the Iseli nursery in Oregon (USA). All the maples resulting from this selection program are crosses between Acer palmatum, the Japanese maple, which is sometimes a bit delicate to grow, and A. pseudosieboldianum, a particularly resistant species native to North Korea, Manchuria and China, which can be grown in any well-drained soil. 'North Wind' has survived tests carried out in the Midwest where it endured temperatures as low as -34°C (-30°F).

'North Wind' is the most vigorous of this series. It is a small tree of moderate growth (about 35cm (14in) per year), with a bushy, compact habit, taller than wide. It will reach a height of about 6m (20ft) with a spread of 4.5m (15ft) at maturity. Its branches bear deciduous leaves, which fall in autumn and reappear in spring. These are palmate leaves, divided into 7 toothed lobes, measuring about 12 to 15cm (5 to 6in) in all directions. In spring, the young leaves are tinged with coral red washed with shrimp pink, then they turn completely green in the middle of summer. In October-November, the foliage takes on shades of yellow and salmon peach, then orange, scarlet and violet, which will be even more spectacular in sunny situations. Discreet flowering takes place in spring, in April depending on the climate. It gives way to dry fruits with two winged samaras, whose bright pink-red colour creates a beautiful contrast with the green foliage in summer.

'North Wind' prefers slightly acidic to neutral, loose, especially well-drained soil that remains moist, in a sunny or semi-shaded position. Place it prominently in front of a large hedge or a screen made up of tall trees to admire it at your leisure. Also combine it with other brightly coloured shrubs in autumn such as Hamamelis, Chinese azaleas, dark berberis, Cotinus Royal Purple, or even Red Majestic purple hazel to enhance it. Combine several varieties of Japanese maple to vary colours and leaf structures; the effect is always dazzling at the end of the season.