Japanese maple trees are prized for their form, bark, elegant foliage, and, above all, their fantastic fall color. Learn how to plant, grow, and care for beautiful Japanese maples.
Botanically known as Acer palmatum, Japanese maples share a genus with other maples like sugar and red maples. However, this is a smaller tree that creates height and interest without shading out shorter plants.
Japanese maples work well in perennial beds and are popular as landscape features due to their striking form, color, and manageable size. Native to Japan and South Korea, these ornamental trees invoke a peaceful feeling and are known as the trees used in Japanese tea gardens.
Their needs are similar to other maple trees, even if their shape and size differ. Dozens of Japanese maple tree cultivars are available in weeping or upright forms, with various leaf shapes and colors running from gold and lime green through deeper greens and burgundy, even to purple.
They are slow growers, averaging only 6 to 12 inches per year–partly because they are shockingly expensive at the nursery. They can be grown as single-stemmed trees or multi-trunk displays. Most Japanese maples are hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8.