STUNNING MAPLES OFFER EYE-CATCHING FALL SHOW
Japanese, Chinese varieties add spice, excitement to yellow-toned landscapes
At this time of year, as we drive by parks, home gardens and even tree-lined medians, it’s difficult to keep our eyes on the road with all the stunning fall colours on display everywhere. Maybe that’s just my problem, but what a show to enjoy — and it’s free.
When I choose a tree for a landscape, its autumn colour is a big factor on my list of musthave attributes. In B.C. we see beautiful yellow-toned trees on our mountains and hillsides, but we’re missing the brilliant reds and strong oranges that Mother Nature has failed to provide.
There are a few exceptions, such as the stunning sumacs in the interior, but on the West Coast fall colour is primarily yellow, with vine maples providing a little drama. That is why I love Japanese and Chinese maples, the cousins of vine maples.
One of the most complete guides to Japanese maples is an old publication Japanese Maples by John Vertrees. The cultural detail is amazing, not only in terms of sizing and hardiness but also in noting each variety’s changes in colouring and habitat preference. It’s been my personal reference guide for many years.
When it comes to living with maples all year round, it’s great to speak with a grower. In addition to being one of B.C.’s wellknown magnolia specialists, Paul Reimer of Reimer’s Nurseries Ltd. in Yarrow, near Chilliwack, has been growing a wide selection of Japanese maples for as long as I can remember.
In Reimer’s opinion, green foliage varieties produce the strongest intensity of fall colour. The ordinary green Acer palmatum is one of the most spectacular, showing a spectrum of colour ranging from vivid reds to vibrant shades of orange.
One of his favourites is Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’. A large leafed variety, it has great structure and strength, and its branching and foliage have somewhat of a horizontal appearance, giving it a classical oriental look. Growing about five metres tall and almost as wide, its fall colouring is a vibrant scarlet with touches of carmine, and it holds this brilliant colouring for weeks.
Reimer also recommends one of my favourites, Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’. According to Vertrees’ guide, it has quite large leaves, and its habit is one of orderliness. Being one of the most durable and sun-tolerant varieties, it thrives in a diversity of landscape situations. Depending upon its location and the spring and summer weather, I find its green foliage changes subtly over the growing season with hues of tan colouring. Come autumn, it is reputed to have the most intense red colouring of all the many Japanese maples — often being equated with the brilliance of a burning bush (Euonymus alata). Vertrees observes that even at dusk this tree seems to glow. I agree, it’s a wow tree.
Two of today’s outstanding palmatum maples are A.p. ‘Harvest Orange’ and A.p. ‘Harvest Red’. Curiously, for years Reimer’s late father Nick Reimer drove by some stunning roadside trees on Mount Lehman Road in Abbotsford, and each fall he marvelled at their incredible beauty. One year he decided to propagate cuttings of each tree to verify they would reproduce true to colour and did they ever.
Both ‘Harvest Orange’ and ‘Harvest Red’ have green spring and summer foliage similar to ‘Osakazuki,’ and ‘Harvest Red’ has almost the same outstanding red colouring. Both grow about five metres in height and width and are hardy to zone 6. Reimer believes that ‘Harvest Orange’ is one of the few good oranges that carries its colour well into the fall. Both varieties have been readily adopted as welcomed additions to the fall colour performance. Thank you Mr. Nick Reimer.
For those of you living in colder areas of B.C., Reimer recommends Acer triflorum. Native to northern China, Manchuria and Korea, it has earned a reputation as one of the hardiest acers. It has a zone 4 rating on the plant hardiness scale.
One of the most sought-after varieties of Japanese maples is Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’, better known as the coral bark or cinnabar wood maple. Its brilliant coral bark, particularly on younger growth, is showy all year round, but even more so as cooler temperatures prevail in the fall and winter. Its early bright green foliage has a slight reddish tinge. In fall, its goldentoned leaves, contrasted by its coral bark, make ‘Sango-kaku’ a spectacular sight in any landscape. It grows rather quickly into an attractive upright form and is probably one of the better maples for winter interest.
Speaking of winter interest, paper bark maples (Acer griseum) are amazing. Their most striking feature is their excoriating bark. When the maturing outer layers of bark begin to peel away, the bright, often shiny, copper under-bark is exposed, creating a unique appearance that really stands out in winter.
Looking very much like the bark of arbutus trees, paper bark maples are much photographed. Hardy to zone 5, this northern Chinese native is one of the last to leaf out in spring, and its rich green foliage is quite dense. Growing about eight to 12 metres tall, it is larger than most palmatums, and is often used as a street tree because of its tolerance of insects and diseases. Its long-lasting, scarlet fall foliage, paired with its interesting bark, makes quite a statement.
There are many other green foliaged maples that look spectacular in autumn, but Reimer thinks these are some of the most outstanding and readily available varieties for home gardeners. Of course, maples that have red foliage year round make a splash in fall too, but their autumn colour just doesn’t match the autumn colour of green leafed varieties.
Not to be forgotten are the stunning split-leafed weeping forms of Japanese maples that are also real showstoppers in autumn. Today, there are hundreds of varieties, rated from zone 4 to 8, that will add colour and drama to most landscapes.
Japanese and Chinese maples add spice and excitement to a fall garden, but remember: if you plant any of these trees, make sure they have open, porous, well-draining soil because maples hate wet feet.