I often refer to myself as a “plant enabler”, a sort of legal dealer that tries his best to hook his customers up with the best plants for their landscapes. Plants are easy to get addicted to, believe me, and running a garden center means you are surrounded on a daily basis by treasures that beckon you to take them home, plant them, and watch them flourish - even if you are out of room, just ask my poor wife. If I jump in a time machine to some 30 years ago, I can see the very beginnings of my own plant addictions, and it was without a doubt Japanese Maples that lured me in first.
The list of enticing Japanese Maple attributes includes outstanding foliage spring through fall, exquisite structure even in dormant season and interesting bark on many. When selecting them for your own yard, why not get the most bang for your buck? I have always thought of Japanese Maples as THE tree for all seasons, but for this time of year it is all about fall color and winter bark interest. From taller specimens to bushier dwarfs to intricately weeping laceleafs, maples are simply spectacular. Whether planted in the ground or cultivated in a container, the options for foliage size, texture, and color are truly varied and unique.
First, let me state the obvious… all Japanese Maples get excellent fall color, period. The decision is what color (or colors) to grab, allowing you as a gardener to paint your landscape with the tones you like best for autumn. Each specimen will vary a bit year to year due to a number of factors, and most exhibit more than one color, but here are a few suggestions of cultivars that are known for reliable tones each and every fall… (Heights given are approximates)
Looking for bright red or scarlet in fall? Choices like ‘Osakazuki’ (25’), ‘Sherwood Flame’ (20’), ‘Tobiosho’ (25’), ‘Twombley’s Red Sentinel’ (20’) and ‘Bloodgood’ (25’) are all great examples of taller growers that mature into stately specimens. Some smaller growers for red include ‘Fireglow’ (15’), ‘Moonfire’ (15’), ‘Shaina’ (6’), ‘Kandy Kitchen’ (8’), and ‘Rhode Island Red’ (8’). If you are going into laceleaf mode, try ‘Red Dragon’ (6’) or ‘Crimson Queen’ (6’).
Looking for glowing gold or yellow in fall? Varieties like ‘Koto no Ito’ (10’), ‘Kamagata’ (10’), ‘Mikawa Yatsubusa’ (6’), ‘Kinran’ (12’), ‘Mikazuki’ (10’), ‘Peaches and Cream’ (10’), ‘Orion’ (6’), and ‘Shishigashira’ (15’) are all worthy choices. For weeping laceleafs, maybe plant a ‘Viridis’ (6’) or ‘Lemon Lime Lace’ (4’). Keep in mind that yellows often come with some red and orange highlights mixed in for maximum impact.
Looking to go bold with more orange tones in fall? Cultivar options like ‘Hogyoku’ (15’), ‘Emmett’s Pumpkin’ (20’), ‘Iijima Sunago’ (15’) Beni Hoshi (10’), ‘Blonde Beauty’ (8’), ‘Cosmos’ (10’), ‘Nebula’ (8’), ‘Orange Flame’ (12’), ‘Sister Ghost’ (10’), and Winter Orange (20’) are excellent. For laceleafs, seek out ‘Watnong’ (6’), ‘Spring Delight’ (6’) or my favorite, ‘Otto’s Dissectum’ (4’) to name a few.
As you ponder different Japanese Maples, be sure to note their bark as this adds even more interest in the landscape. With so much ever-greenery (as I call it) around here, colorful bark really pops in the winter months. Keep in mind that the brightest wood is up to three years old, while mature wood turns more greyish with age. Look for these mentioned below and many more cool candidates as well…
Coral Barks: The one I see most often locally is the common coral bark called ‘Sango kaku’ - which grows quite large (25’), if size matters. I think most gardeners are unaware of the numerous dwarf coral bark cultivars that are available these days. ‘Beni kawa’ (15’), ‘Aka kawa hime’ (8’), ‘Corvallis Broom’ (8’), ‘Winter Flame’ (8’) and ‘Little Sango’ (8’) are all much more manageable in size with the same bright bark. All will typically turn yellow with orange to red highlights each autumn.
Bright Greens: Traditionally in Japan, maple enthusiasts mix or alternate coral and pea green colored bark for a unique winter display. Good green bark options include ‘Lima Gold’ (6’), ‘Aoyagi’/‘Ukon’ (20’), and ‘Shidava Gold’ (10’). All these lovelies leaf out bright yellow-green in spring, mature to deep green in summer, and finally turn brilliant yellow for the fall foliage show.
Yellow Barks: ‘Bihou’ is a sweet, smaller grower for areas with shade to morning sun that has bright yellow bark and coral-colored tips, slowly reaching about 10 feet with age. ‘Gold Digger’ (10’) is a newer favorite with yellow bark and yellow to orange foliage color in fall that can take a bit more sun. ‘Winter Gold’ (10’) is another recent introduction that is all about yellow – spring foliage, fall color, and winter bark, all yellow.
Pine Barks: Sometimes called “Rough Bark” maples, the older wood is truly unique on these. Picture this… maples with raised and fissured 3D bark, just like a pine tree. These turn stunning red to orange in fall with a touch of yellow, and mature into specimens in the 20-foot range with age. ‘Arakawa’ (Rough Bark) and ‘Nishiki gawa’ (Pine Bark) are the two best varieties to seek out.
I will throw a bonus maple in for bark lovers, a cultivar of our native Vine Maple called ‘Pacific Fire.’ Although it is not a Japanese Maple by any means, it fits into our discussion today with its yellow to coral bark colors, outstanding blended fall color and manageable multi-stemmed habit.
I encourage you to explore the multitude of cultivars of these treasured trees, as there are certainly many that can meet your needs. Stop into your local garden center this fall and speak with a Certified Professional Horticulturist about maples, all while gazing upon all of your glorious options. Whether it is bright red, bold orange, golden yellow or a mix of autumn colors and/or bark interest that you crave, a striking Japanese Maple can fill the need. Either way, find the appropriate size and habit, give them good drainage, and your reward will be decades of outstanding landscape interest. Try to remember this motto from your local plant enabler and admitted maple addict… there is always room for just one more.
