Acer palmatum amagi shigure

A Japanese maple is one of the most desirable and versatile plants available to the gardener and with such a comprehensive range of colours, leaf types, shapes and sizes, one can be found to fit in with any planting scheme. All are adaptable to a wide range of conditions and the perfect site is not a prerequisite for growing a Japanese maple successfully.

For a colour coded garden the choice is vast; from cream and the palest green imaginable through every conceivable shade (with the exception of blue!) to reds that appear almost black. And that’s just the spring colour. In the autumn they provide a display of colour that can’t be rivalled by any other group of plants.

Leaves range from dissected forms that look so delicate you would expect them to blow away on the slightest breeze, but in reality are amazingly tough, all the way to large, palmate shapes. Some dwarf forms have leaves no more than half an inch across whilst others can be up to six inches.

With such a wide range of cultivars to choose from, the need for a narrowly upright form, a wide-spreading form, a miniature shrub or a cascading or weeping form can be found to match your exact requirements. In terms of size, there are cultivars that are suitable for a window box all the way up to a garden of several acres and most are happy to grow in any shape or size of container.

Because of their compact and non-invasive root system, they will happily blend in with other plants, be it a mixed border, rockery or large expanse of lawn and it goes without saying that they make perfect accent plants. Soil types are not a limiting factor and even the most apparently hostile soil will support them.

There is no reason why a Japanese maple can’t be grown in any garden and this site is dedicated to providing the best possible information to grow them to perfection. They are an investment and the small amount of initial effort required to give them what they need to thrive will be repaid many times over in the pleasure they provide for decades to come.

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