HOW TO GROW MAPLES

Soil Well-drained.

CLIMATE Cool.

ASPECT Morning sun or part shade. Protect from winds that scorch the leaves.

PRUNING Prune when tree is beyond being a sapling to develop the shape you want. Do this in summer when sap won’t leak from the wounds.

WATER Keep soil moist, especially during long, hot, dry spells.

FOOD Wait until their second growing season before feeding. Then apply controlled-release fertiliser pellets in late winter or spring.

MULCH Lots of it. It insulates the soil from weather extremes.