How do I identify a Japanese maple leaf?

Examine the color of your Japanese Maple tree’s leaves in the fall. The red leaf variety of Japanese Maple has leaves that turn red in the fall, while the green leaf variety has leaves that turn yellow or orange.

What kind of leaves do Japanese maples have?

Leaves of the species form are oppositely arranged, hand-shaped, 2 to 5 inches long and have 5 or 7 lobes. Leaves emerge in early spring. Summer color is green and autumn color varies from orange to yellow to red to purple. The small, reddish flowers are borne in stalked, umbrella-shaped clusters.

What is the difference between a Japanese maple and a Chinese maple?

The Japanese maple goes by the scientific name Acer palmatum, while the Chinese maple is Acer discolor. This distinction should assist you when being sure that you are growing the appropriate plant. The Japanese maple appears in the shape of a dome and does well in both full sun and partial shade.

How can you tell how old a Japanese maple is?

The best way to tell a maple’s age is to mark the planting date in a garden diary. All other methods provide estimations only. The fruit of every species of maple is a double samara. It resembles the blades of a helicopter.

Why are leaves shriveling on Japanese maple trees?

In hot regions the main danger is heat and sun-scorch, which can cause the leaves to shrivel in summer. When this occurs trees will sprout normally the following spring. Growing trees in shadier locations and making sure they have sufficient water will normally prevent this problem in summer.

When do Japanese maples start to come out?

Japanese Maples are a great addition to your garden because they can add interest all year long. In the spring, the leaves come out…often in a different color than the mature leaves. The variety in the picture above starts out with white leaves that turn to pink and then red before going green.

What kind of light does a Japanese maple use?

Because Japanese Maples often have interesting trunk structures and lacy leaves, they make really good focal points at night with some landscape lighting. Point an uplight along the stem and into the canopy, and you are pretty much guaranteed to have a stunning lighting effect.

Can a Japanese maple grow in a container?

You can see this easily in established trees (like the one in the picture), where the leaves on the top (that are exposed to more sun) are red, while the ones underneath are green. Because they are slow growing, a lot of Japanese Maples do quite well in containers. And they actually seem to flourish in smaller containers better than larger ones.

Can a Japanese maple tree be used for bonsai?

Any Japanese maple can be used, from upright to cascading, and the training enhances the natural beauty of the tree. If trees are grown indoors as bonsai they must spend some time outdoors or refrigerated in winter to keep them healthy. In Japan bonsai trees are grown outdoors and only brought inside for short periods to admire them.

How tall does a Emperor Japanese maple tree grow?

Emperor, or ‘Wolff’, will grow into an upright tree about 15 feet tall, holding its purple-red leaf color from spring to fall, when it ends the season in a blaze of scarlet. It is also very fast growing, so a worthwhile specimen will develop in just a few years.

How tall does a geisha Japanese maple tree get?

‘ Geisha’ (Acer palmatum ‘Geisha’): This is one of the most spectacular of all variegated Japanese maples. In spring, the new leaves are hot pink, then age to green with flecks of white and pink in summer, then change to spectacular orange in fall. A small upright tree, it grows to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide in about 10 years.