Inject drama with a maple tree
Japanese maples /acers are ideal for small spaces
Carefully plan where you’re going to place smaller maples, as many, especially the Japanese varieties, are particularly fussy about where they will grow. A sheltered spot out of strong winds is best.
It is a well-known design ploy to decorate small gardens with the size and drama of comparatively large plants. Cramming in many smaller varieties might feel more logical but it confuses the eye and tends to over-emphasise a lack of ground space. Small trees and large shrubs are therefore just the thing for making basements, patios and courtyards more theatrical and welcoming. Where these smaller spaces are sheltered and lightly shaded, they make a des res for maples – many of whom pay a triple rent of shapely leaves, autumn tints and winter colour from stem and bark.
Although the large maple tribe contains majestic trees such as sycamore and Norway maple, there are plenty of smaller-growing kinds for tiny corner beds, pots or half barrels. Cultivars of the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), a dainty tree slowly reaching 15ft (4.5m), and taller full-moon maple (A.japonicum), which ascends gradually to 30ft (9m) are both popular.
there is plenty of choice, so first decide which shape you require. the elegant ‘Sango-kaku’ is taller and more upright, whereas ‘Dissectum’ will give you a low, spreading dome. Foliage shapes vary considerably from substantial, blocky lobes with a solid presence to elegant finger-like shapes and fantastically elongated digits – like those of ‘Chitoseyama’, whose bronzetinged leaves turn red in autumn on trees reaching no more than 5ft (1.5m) in 10 years. Some foliage is so dissected it creates waterfalls of fern-like growth.
the Japanese maple is fairly uncompromising when it comes to basic needs. these are either met and the plant will be handsome and long-lived, or not met, and one has to watch the young tree falter and die back until nothing but a pathetic skeleton is left. For success, keep coolness and humidity firmly in mind, so trees have shelter from cold drying winds and frost plus light shade to protect from harsh sun during summer. though roots need moisture, good drainage is paramount. the shady side of your patio might just echo their preferred natural habitat of a gentle wooded slope leading down to a stream in the valley bottom. Our Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ grew for many years in a wooden half barrel stood on a shingle driveway shaded from the harsh afternoon sun by the outer canopy of a magnolia. An understorey of other woodland plants will help raise humidity.