Suitable Maple Trees for Fair Lakes Court Available at Merrifield Garden Center, Fair Oaks For assistance in your selection of any of these trees, please contact: Michael Fahey ISA Certified Arborist and Plant Specialist Merrifield Garden Center at Fair Oaks 12101 Lee Highway Fairfax, Virginia 22030 Phone: (703) 968-9600 Cell: (571) 283-8074 Email: mfahey@mgcmail.com
Japanese maple Seiryu Acer palmatum dissectum green Japanese maple Glowing Embers Acer palmatum Glowing Embers An upright tree with bright green-yellow lacy leaves tipped with reddish tones as they unfold in the spring. The color soon changes to a uniform light green, though later in summer on exposed leaves, the reddish tones reappear on the margins. Fall colors are quite spectacular and range from strong gold to light yellows with a suffusion of crimson. The small leaves are slightly smaller and chunkier than those of most other green dissectums. The bark is a dark brown-green. The upright growth is quite strong but not overly vigorous. A small, dense, vigorous, upright cultivar with characteristic palmatum-type smallto-medium sized leaves. It can be grown in hot, sunny conditions and will eventually reach a height of 20. It produces bright red new shoots and leaves in the spring. The leaves become plum red as they mature and form a contrasting background for the fiery red new growth produced all summer. The cultivar is named for this new growth. The tree may reach 23 in height and 13 in spread. Its upright habit makes it a good addition to the garden landscape and offers a pleasing contrast when planted among cascading dissectums.
Japanese maple Orange Dream Acer palmatum green This lovely cultivar is one of the growing examples of palmatums selected for their refreshing spring color foliage. New leaves emerge a fresh orange, with a hint of red quickly becoming a lemon yellow with orange-ringed margins and tips. The leaves are less likely to be damaged by cold spells in early spring. Also the leaves retain their bright yellow color for much longer, changing to yellow-green, the light green later in the summer, often with a slight reddish edging to the leaves. They become a bright yellow-gold or burnt orange in the fall. The slender shoots ar an attractive red to light green, with only faint striations. The mediumsized seven-lobed leaves are slightly broader than long and are deeply divided. Orange Dream is often grown as more of a shrub than a tree because it is fairly slow growing, and when grown in shrub form, the display of color is truly vibrant because so many more leaves are visible at a glance. This cultivar becomes an upright, bushy shrub, growing slowly at first, eventually reaching 13 in height. Like most Japanese maples, Orange Dream needs sunlight to color up the leaves and grows well in full sun, but grows best in partial shade. Up to about 50% shade would be fine. Welldrained soil that is high in organic matter is ideal.
Japanese maple Sherwood Flame Acer Palmatum Matsumurae red Acer tataricum, subsp. Ginnala Flame Height 12-16 ; spread 8-13. Full/part sun. The beautiful leaves are a rich, reddish purple color, approaching burgundy. The color remains very strong until the end of the summer, then fades slightly to red-green. The medium-sized leaves are seven-lobed. The lobes are divided almost to the leaf base and tend to hold together slightly, so that the leaf appears longer than wide. The lobes are elongate ovate, quite narrow at the lobe junctions, with the outer ends tapering to very long, sharp points. The margins are deeply and regularly toothed. This medium-sized shrubby tree, which can reach 23 in height, has outstanding fall color. The leaves have the typical shape and size of the subspecies. The glossy green foliage contrasts with the large clusters of red fruits from early summer onwards. The fall color is very red. This vigorous, small tree makes a pleasant, roundtopped form. It is an excellent specimen tree for the landscape, adding color in the spring and retaining the deep tones throughout the summer. Its deep color does not fade or turn greenish brown or bronze in midsummer. Beautifully shaped, can grow to a wide shape. Flame makes a fine specimen tree among other plants in a shrub border or as a patio tree.
Japanese maple Purple Ghost Acer palmatum This tree has leaves with a strongly contrasting network of veins against a different color background. The dramatic spring leaves have a deep red background and a network of contrasting, almost black veins. The summer color is a semi-shiny red-purple with a dark purple-red vein network and margins. The foliage turns a fiery orange to scarlet in the fall. The large, broad seven-lobed leaves are moderately deeply divided and have conspicuously sharp-toothed attractively crumpled margins. This semi-upright, wellbranched, rounded tree will reach about 13 tall and 6 wide. It makes a dramatic contrast or focal plant in the garden landscape.
Japanese maple Trompenburg Acer palmatum Matsumarae red This popular cultivar has unusual leaves with seven to nine lobes, separated deeply to within 1 cm. of the leaf base. They radiate laterally and evenly, giving the appearance of fingers extending from a hand. On mature leaves, each lobe is long-ovate, with edges that roll down slightly for ¾ of the way, almost forming a tube. The remaining ¼ flattens to display the deeply toothed margins. This extraordinary leaf gives an unusual and pleasing effect. This upright growing cultivar reaches 26 high and 16 wide. The branches begin to extend laterally with the fingertip-like leaves reaching outward and down. The tree has become a favorite for landscaping. The foliage color is also an outstanding feature, being a rich, showy deep purple-red. It lasts exceptionally well into late summer. Even in full sun the leaves do not burn, but later change to a deep reddish green and bronze. The fall colors of crimson completes a colorful year.
Japanese maple Sango kaku Coral Bark or Coral Tower Palmatum green The brilliant coral color of the bark is the outstanding feature of this maple and gives it its name. The tree gradually spreads at the top as it ages. This excellent purple-red, almost blackred color of this cultivar is almost opalescent. The good, deep colors last very well throughout the summer and do not bronze out, as do many of the red cultivars. The center vein of each lobe is also a deep purple-red, and the underside of the leaf is very deep, rich reddish green. Later the leaves turn crimson for a delightful fall display. Diffused sun gives it a faint blue overtone. The medium to large leaves are mainly even-lobed and deeply divided. At times the color becomes almost fluorescent. The younger the wood, the stronger the color. The tones brighten in the fall and then intensify as winter approaches. The color is especially striking in snow. Planted near the contrasting green-barked Aoyagi. The red barked Sango kaku makes a striking color combination for winter accent. It makes a fineshaped specimen for landscaping, but it attains a height of 26 or more and broadens to about 20.
Japanese maple Bloodgood Palmatum red One of the most popular large-leafed, upright growing tree forms of red palmatum in the U.S. The five- to sevenlobed leaves are deeply divided and finely and evenly toothed. The underside is usually a shiny, dark green. Light transmitted through the leaves on a bright day gives a beautiful red effect. The fall coloring is usually bright crimson. The prominent fruits are a bright red and add to the overall beauty of the plant. Bloodgood has become a standard by which all newer cultivars like it are judged. It is a very deep red or purple-red and holds its color into late summer better than most red-leaved forms. It does not bronze-out. This upright tree matures at up to 33. Strong branches form a broad-topped tree with the spread about equal to its height. It has received awards for garden merit.
Japanese maple Fireglow Palmatum red This impressive and reliable cultivar is a vigorous, upright, well-branched shrub or small tree, similar to the popular, triedand-tested Bloodgood. However, the leaves are not as deeply divided. It has a deeper, more intense red color, which remains throughout the summer, even in very hot, sunny conditions. The new leaves emerge a very bright pink-red in the spring before turning a deep red. The upper surface retains its color well into late summer and does not burn in hot sun. The foliage becomes purple-red suffused with green by early fall. The name Fireglow aptly describes the eyecatching effect when the leaves are backlit by the sun. Reaches up to 16 in height. The seven-lobed, medium to large leaves are moderately deeply divided with the small basal lobes. This cultivar forms an upright shrub with many slender, dark red shoots. Although vigorous, it does not become as tall and widespread as Bloodgood and thus makes an excellent garden or container plant.
Crimson Queen Dissectum Group Red The outstanding feature of this very popular cultivar is the persistent deep red color of the foliage. Most dissectum cultivars with excellent red color during spring and early summer turn green or bronze. In contrast, Crimson Queen carries the deep purple-red color throughout the entire growing season. It can endure periods of 100 degrees F. temperatures in full sun with practically no sunburn, but under these conditions, the deep red becomes orange-red. The fall color is a very bright crimson scarlet. The medium to large seven- to nine-lobed leaves are finely dissected. Each narrow lobe is deeply divided and notched. This strong-growing cultivar ages into a beautiful cascading tree 10 in height and 13 in spread. Among the many known red dissectum cultivars, Crimson Queen has become a favorite in the U.S. It is vigorous and sturdy. Although not widely found in cultivation, it should become a popular garden landscape item. They do not bronze out in late season, as do other reds. For a dissectum, it is a rather upright growing form. Although it does cascade, it tends to be a little more erect in appearance.
Orangeloa Red Japanese maple Acer palmatum Orangeloa Lacey leaf. Height: 3-5 ; spread 6-8. One of the most outstanding cascading dissectums. It is noted for its bright green and orange-red new foliage in spring. It manages to keep an orange flush on the leaves as they turn a rich red-green through the summer. As spring turns into summer, the older leaves start to slowly turn green, this process happens over a number of weeks. Then it puts out red new growth that lies over the older foliage. In fall it really puts on a show with traffic stopping bright orange-red leaves. The large leaves have five to seven lobes, which are deeply divided to the leaf base, where they are barely wider than the midribs. Each lobe is itself deeply divided into broader toothed sublobes. The lobes are wide spreading. Although vigorous, it is one of the smaller dissectums, barely more than 10 in height when fully grown. It is more upright and less spreading than most dissectums, forming an attractive cascading mound, usually taller than wide. This plant does extremely well in hotter climates. It prefers high indirect light to full sun. 'Orangeola' still does not attain height very quickly, due to the fact that it is also one of the most pendulous maples.
Winter Flame palmatum group, green The foliage is the type for dissectums, being usually seven- to nine-lobed. Each lobe separates entirely to the base. The lobes are multi-dissected or strongly pinnate, and extremely narrow. While the leaves are medium to large, the leaf has the delicate tracery of the typical dissectum form. Partial shade keeps the foliage bright all season. In the fall, the delightful gold colors will dominate, with occasional splashes of crimson. The leaves become bright green through the summer, taking on an attractive yelloworange-red mottling in the fall before turning a light crimson red. Winter Flame has lovely soft, lime-green spring foliage contrasting beautifully with the pink-red shoots. The habit remains compact and bushy, reaching no more than 10 at maturity. This cultivar is an ideal compact maple for the small garden and has colorful features all year.
Japanese maple Seiryu Acer palmatum Dissectum green An upright tree with bright green-yellow lacey leaves tipped with reddish tones, as they unfold in the spring. The color soon changes to a uniform light green, although later in summer on exposed leaves, the reddish tones reappear on the margins. Fall colors are quite spectacular and range from strong gold to light yellows with a suffusion of crimson. The leaves are smaller and chunkier than those of most other green dissectums. The even lobes are pinnately dissected into sublobes, but are not as finely cut as typical dissectums. The bark is a dark, brown green. The upright growth is quite strong but not overly vigorous. The tree may reach 23 in height and 13 in spread. Its upright habit makes it a good addition to the garden landscape and offers a pleasing contrast when planted among cascading dissectums.
Red Dragon, dissectum group red This deep purple-red dissectum keeps its deep color in sun or shade, better than any other red dissectum, including Inaba Shidara and Crimson Queen. The spring leaves are bright scarlet, becoming dark burgundy in early summer. This rich coloring is retained throughout the summer, changing to an outstanding flaming scarlet again in the fall. The large, very deeply cut seven-lobed leaves are slightly wider than long. The broad lobes themselves are deeply incised right to the midrib and narrow to less than 1 mm toward the leaf base. The sublobemargins have coarse, sharply pointed and hooked double teeth. The growth habit is like a more dwarf form of Crimson Queen, a compact, well-branched, cascading mound, reaching 8 in height. It makes an excellent small garden, rock garden, container, or bonsai plant. Red Dragon prefers full sun and tolerates frost, but it needs protection from cold wind and summer drought. Sources: Vertrees, J.D. and Peter Gregory. Japanese Maples: The Complete Guide to Selection and Cultivation. Fourth edition. Revised and expanded to include over 600 plants. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 2009. Vertrees, J.D. Japanese Maples. Third edition. Revised and expanded by Peter Gregory. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 2001.