Gardening information at your fingertips...
Allotments
Alpines
Amphibians
Aquatic Plants
Bamboo
Birds
Bog Plants
Bulbs
Carnivorous Plants
Celebrity Gardeners
Charities
Chelsea Flower Show
Chickens
Children
Clematis
Climbers
Clubs & Societies
Cold Hardiness
Composting
Conifers
Conservation
Construction & DIY
Crop Rotation
Cucumbers
Cuttings
Diary
Digging
Education
Electrical Safety
Exotic Gardening
Fish Keeping
Flower Shows
Forum
Fruit
Fuchsias
Gallery
Garden Design
Gardens to Visit
Giant Hogweed
Grapes
Grasses
Hanging Baskets
Hedgehogs
Hedging
Herbs
History
Holidays
Hostas
Houseplants
Hydroponics
Japanese Gardening
Japanese Maples
Lawns
Laws
Magnolias
Model Railways
Moving Shrubs
Mushrooms
Native Plants
News
Nutrient Deficiency
Orchids
Organic Gardening
Palm Trees
Pests & Diseases
Poisonous Plants
Potatoes
Propagation
Public Gardens
Rhododendrons
Roses
Rural Property
Screensavers
Shade Loving Plants
Show Gardens
Shows & Events
Soil
Sowing Seeds
Sunlight Map
Tatton Park
Television
Terrariums
Tomatoes
Topiary
Trees
Tulips
Unusual Vegetables
Vegetables
Vine Weevil
Water Gardening
Weather
Weeds
Wholesalers
Wildflowers
Wildlife
Winter Care
Wisteria
Words & Phrases
World Records
MaplesJapanese & Other Maple Trees
There are approximately 125 species with over 1000 cultivars of maple, mostly native to Asia, but several species also occur in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) are a species native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and eastern China and are renowned for their staggering beauty in both autumn leaf colour and interesting bark. Most are ideally grown in sun to part shade in a sheltered spot away from strong winds. Maples do well in pots, the garden and as bonsai.
See also: Japanese Gardening  -  Oriental Gardening Products
Here are some of the best for your garden............
Acer palmatum Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum'
The original Japanese maple, with fresh green spring foliage, that turns stunning blood red in autumn before it falls .Leaves are 5-7 lobed and cut halfway to the centre of the leaf blade. The foliage is fresh green with occassional red tints in spring and looks wonderful on a sunny autumn day with the sun shining on its scarlet colours before it falls for winter.
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum Atropurpureum' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Atropurpureum'
Palm-shaped, deep purple leaves turning brilliant red in autumn and tiny purple-red spring flowers. This slow-growing Japanese maple is an excellent specimen tree for a small, sunny, urban garden, protected from cold winds and late frosts. Perfect for a large container, its elegant, open shape looks especially good silhouetted next to buildings.
    
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Crimson Queen' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Crimson Queen'
Delicate, red-purple fern-like leaves turning shades of gold and orange in autumn. This elegant, purple, cut-leaf Japanese maple is an ideal specimen tree for a small garden. Over time its arching stems form a compact, mushroom-like shape. Provide protection from cold winds and late spring frosts.
Acer platanoides Crimson King Norway Maple
'Acer platanoides Crimson King'
Dark beetroot-red leaves turning red, brown and orange in autumn and small clusters of red-tinged, yellow spring flowers. This handsome, large, round- headed tree makes a fabulous ornamental feature for a large garden. Fast-growing and pollution-tolerant it thrives on almost any soil, including clay. Valuable for screening unsightly buildings.
    
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Atropurpureum Group' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Atropurpureum Group'
Deeply cut red-purple leaves take on vivid bonfire shades in autumn. The compact, dome-like habit of this cut-leaf Japanese maple makes an excellent focal point plant for a small garden or for growing in a large container. Protect the delicate, fern-like foliage from cold winds and late spring frosts.
Acer palmatum Trompenburg Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Trompenburg'
This gorgeous Japanese maple is a special selection of the purple leaved varieties. With each leaf outstandingly shaped and palmate, they are of the deepest Purplish-Red available in acers, and turn a deep, deep Red in Autumn.
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum Osakazuki' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Osakazuki'
Large, palm-shaped rich olive-green leaves turning scarlet-red in autumn and tiny purple-red spring flowers. This slow-growing Japanese maple is renowned for its spectacular autumn leaf colour. An excellent specimen tree for a small, partly shady, site, its open habit looks good silhouetted next to buildings or in a contemporary, minimalist garden.
    
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum Butterfly' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Butterfly'
Masses of tiny, red, spring flowers contrasting beautifully against delicate grey-green leaves with slender white and shrimp-pink margins. This compact, upright Japanese maple is an ideal specimen tree for a small garden. It is best grown in partial shade since the exquisite, variegated foliage scorches in full sun.
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum var. dissectum' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum var. dissectum'
Deeply cut, fern-like, mid-green leaves turning golden-orange in autumn. The exquisite foliage and compact, mound-like habit make this cut-leaf Japanese maple an excellent specimen tree for small gardens. Grown in a large ornamental container it brings colour and sculptural interest to a patio or courtyard garden.
    
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Garnet' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Garnet'
Deeply cut, garnet-coloured leaves and tiny purple-red spring flowers. The finely cut leaves of this mound-forming Japanese maple turn a brilliant shade of red in autumn. An excellent specimen tree for a small garden, the foliage is best in a sunny site.
    
Snake-bark Maple - 'Acer Davidii' Snake-bark Maple
'Acer Davidii'
Glossy, mid-green leaves turning orange and yellow in autumn and vertically striped green-and-white bark. This stunning snake-bark maple makes an excellent specimen tree for a medium-sized garden. Choose a site sheltered from cold winds close to a path or entrance, where the attractive decorative bark can be appreciated close-up.
Acer palmatum Chitoseyama Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Chitoseyama'
Chitoseyama' is a top choice among small trees for all-season beauty, making this a collector's favorite. Foliage is crimson-green in autumn, turning crimson-red in the Autumn. This cultivar has a mounding habit, reaching 6 feet in height by 10 feet in width if left unpruned. Thrives in partial shade and moist soil.
Acer palmatum Deshojo Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Deshojo'
This Extremely Sought after Acer is renowned for its Beautiful Blood Red Spring and Autumn Foliage Colour. As summer progresses the older leaves turn green but the young shoots are tipped with burnished-red young leaves. It is ideal for an oriental style garden, and really needs a special position where it can be admired, may be a large patio container.
Snake-bark Maple - 'Acer capillipes' Snake-bark Maple
'Acer capillipes'
Beautiful, small deciduous tree with coral-red young shoots and green-brown bark marked with white lines. The tree has lovely spreading, arching branches with attractive bright green, three-lobed leaves that turn dramatic shades of orange and red in autumn. A great tree for a small garden where the streaked white bark can be fully appreciated.
Ash-leaved Maple - 'Acer negundo Flamingo' Ash-leaved Maple
'Acer negundo Flamingo'
Beautiful light green leaves with generous shrimp-pink margins, maturing to white in summer, and clusters of greenish-yellow spring flowers. This fast-growing, rounded to broadly spreading ash-leafed maple makes an excellent specimen tree for a medium-sized garden. The foliage is best in partial shade - the delicate variegated leaves may scorch in full sun.
    
Acer palmatum dissectum Seiryu Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum dissectum Seiryu'
An award winning variety with upright growth habit & fine foliage on new red tinted shoots. The foliage appears very delicate yet like all the Acers, it's a tough hardy plant. In Autumn the foliage takes on yellow & red hues. One of the best varieties and outstanding for use as a small specimen tree. The Japanese name translates into ''green dragon''.
Acer palmatum Tsuma-gaki Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Tsuma-gaki'
This is truly rare to the nursery trade and of unique form and colour. It catches your eye with soft yellow-green leaves tipped crimson red reminiscent of painted fingernails. Being a small broad tree, makes a plus in any small garden or rock garden. If you have a Japanese themed area, this will separate it from the rest.
Coral-bark Maple - 'Acer palmatum Sango-kaku' Coral-bark Maple
'Acer palmatum Sango-kaku'
Palm-shaped, orange-yellow leaves in spring, which turn rich green in summer, and contrasting coral-red shoots. This coral-bark maple is possibly the best maple for all-year round interest as the foliage turns fabulous shades of soft yellow in autumn. Perfect for a small garden, choose a partly shaded site close to an entrance or path, where the distinctive, coral-coloured bark can be appreciated after the leaves have fallen.
    
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Inaba-shidare' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum var. dissectum Inaba-shidare'
Exquisite, red-purple fern-like leaves turning spectacular shades of gold and orange in autumn. An excellent focal point plant for small gardens, this tree's compact, dome-like shape makes it ideal for growing in a large, ornamental container. Choose a site in dappled shade protected from cold, drying winds and late spring frosts.
Japanese Maple - 'Acer palmatum Bloodgood' Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Bloodgood'
Deeply lobed, dark red-purple leaves turning bright red in autumn and tiny purple-red spring flowers. This upright Japanese maple is one of the best purple-leaved varieties. A highly ornamental tree for a small, contemporary or minimalist garden, the intensity of the foliage colour is superior in full sun.
Acer japonicum Vitifolium Japanese Maple
'Acer japonicum Vitifolium'
Very large beautiful deep green leaves turn a magnificent mix of scarlet, gold, orange and yellow in the Autumn, making this yet another outstanding maple addition to our range. Very representative of the species, this is a sturdy hardy tree, but we recommend some shade in the heat of the day.
Acer palmatum Orido-Nishiki Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Orido-Nishiki'
Likely to emerge as one of the most popular Acer varieties but it is still very rare. The deep pink and white variegation in Spring is followed by pink, white and green foliage until leaf fall. Not only are the leaves attractively coloured, but the bark also carries variegation of creamy white and pink. New growth ranges from almost pure white to bright purplish-pink, all with irregular patches of green. Twigs on new growth are scarlet red. The Autumn colour is reddish-maroon.
Acer palmatum Taylor Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Taylor'
A brand new variety, first presented in the UK at the Chelsea Flower show 2005, it is still rather difficult to find. It has pale pink leaves patterned with light lime green variegation.
Red Maple - 'Acer rubrum' Red Maple
'Acer rubrum'
Deeply lobed, dark green leaves turning brilliant red in autumn and tiny clusters of red spring flowers. This beautiful, round-headed, red maple makes an excellent ornamental feature in a large garden. Although the tree tolerates some lime the best autumn colour is achieved on fertile, moisture- retentive, neutral to acid soil in full sun.
Acer pseudoplatanus Brilliantissimum Maple
'Acer pseudoplatanus Brilliantissimum'
Striking shrimp-pink leaves maturing to yellow-green and clusters of yellow-green spring flowers. This highly ornamental, spreading sycamore makes an excellent specimen tree. Smaller and slower growing than many other sycamores it is perfect for a small, sunny garden.
    
Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' - Golden leaf Full Moon Japanese Maple
'Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' - Golden leaf Full Moon'
Clusters of tiny, red-purple spring flowers and vivid, young, lime-green leaves turning orange and red in autumn. This rounded, golden-leafed Japanese maple provides an excellent focal point for a small garden. The striking foliage is best in partial or dappled shade, protected from cold, drying winds and excessive sun. One of our favourite Japanese Maples.
Acer palmatum Orange Dream Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Orange Dream'
A Japanese maple cultivar rare to the nursery trade and of unique form and colour. A narrowly upright growth habit and slow rate make 'Orange Dream' a large shrub to small tree depending on culture. Striking orange-yellow foliage over bright green bark results in a truly different look. This beautiful Japanese maple will enhance any garden. It will also look wonderful in a pot or tub on the patio of balcony. The Autumn colour and older foliage is breathtaking yellow.
Acer platanoides Drummondii Norway Maple
'Acer platanoides Drummondii'
Dark green leaves with creamy-white margins turning orange in autumn and small clusters of red-tinged, yellow spring flowers. This handsome, round-headed tree is possibly the best variegated Norway maple. An excellent specimen tree for a medium-sized garden, it is pollution-tolerant and copes well on most soils, including clay.
    
Acer platanoides Crimson Sentry Norway Maple
'Acer platanoides Crimson Sentry'
Dark red-purple leaves turning red, brown and orange in autumn and small clusters of red-tinged, yellow spring flowers. This handsome Norway maple makes an excellent specimen tree for a medium-sized garden. Narrowly upright in habit, it is pollution-tolerant and thrives on almost any soil, including clay.
Acer palmatum Beni-Maiko Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Beni-Maiko'
Acer ''Beni Maiko'' has spring colour that is scarlet to fire red, combined with a semi dwarf growth habit. Great in pots or containers, or planted in the ground mixed with other shrubs and acers. Similar to deshojo.
Acer palmatum Beni-Komachi Japanese Maple
'Acer palmatum Beni-Komachi'
A rare, hard to find variety, with a dwarf habit. This densely-branched shrub form will grow over time to 5-6ft tall and wide, with thin branchlets. Leaves are curly, deeply dissected and bright red in spring, turning a bluish-red in summer. The autumn colour is outstanding - a spectacular shade of red.
Acer campestre British Field Maple
'Acer campestre'
Fast growing native deciduous tree with young foliage tinged red, turning to green, then yellow in autumn. Small greenish-yellow flowers in spring followed by winged seeds in autumn. Will thrive on any well drained but moist soil, making it an ideal choice for virtually all gardens.
Acer griseum Paper Bark Maple
'Acer griseum'
Stunning, cinnamon-coloured peeling bark and deeply lobed, dark green leaves turning vivid shades of orange, red and scarlet in autumn. This slow- growing, spreading tree is an excellent specimen tree for a medium-sized garden. To make the most of the spectacular peeling bark it is often grown as a multi-stemmed tree.
Garden shopping at your fingertips...
Accessories
Animal Houses
Arbours
Art
Aviaries
Bedding Plants
Benches
Bird Care
Bonsai
Books
Boot Scrapers
Brochures
Bubble Machines
Buildings
Camping
Catalogues
Chainsaws
Chicken Coops
Children's
Clematis
Climbers
Cloches
Clothing
Cold Frames
Compost Bins
Compost
Conservatories
Containers
Cooking
Decking
Dog Kennels
Dovecotes
DVD's
Exotic Plants
Fencing
Fireworks
Florists
Food & Drink
Furniture
Games
Gates
Gazebos
Gifts
Grasses
Gravel
Greenhouses
Greenhouse Staging
Hammocks
Hanging Baskets
Hedging
Homes & Interiors
Hosepipes
Hot Tubs
Inflatables
Irrigation
Lawnmowers
Lawn Care
Lawn Seed
Leaf Blowers & Vacs
Lighting
Log Splitters
Machinery
Magazines
Marquees
Mushroom Kits
Nest Boxes
Orchids
Oriental Gardening
Ornaments
Paddling Pools
Palm Trees
Patio Heaters
Paving
Pergolas
Pest Repellants
Plants
Plastic Greenhouses
Play Centres
Polytunnels
Ponds
Potting Benches
Pots & Containers
Power Tools
Pressure Washers
Prints & Pictures
Rabbit Hutches
Rainwater Collection
Raised Bed Kits
Rotivators
Rural Property
Sculpture
Security
Seeds
Shade Sails