BY USE

BY LIGHT CONDITION

BY HARDINESS ZONE

 Tips for Buying Japanese Maples

Often a persons first step in buying a Japanese maple is which is the favorite and find a spot in your garden. I know this style of thinking as it is what I have done myself.

Before you buy a Japanese maple, what color Japanese maple would fit best in your spot? Often if you have a dark background, a deep red Japanese maple may get lost. It may be better to purchase a light green Japanese maple for the spot. On the contrast, if the location has a backdrop that is light colored or all the other trees in the area are green, a red Japanese maple may in fact provide some nice contrast. Have a shaded spot that needs to be brightened up a bit? Buy a variegated Japanese maple for that darker spot in the garden. 

Now that we have the color figured out, would you like  to buy a weeping Japanese maple that will typically get wider than tall for that particular spot, or would you like an upright Japanese maple that will provide more height?

The Japanese maple that you want to buy for this same spot, how big would you like it get? A dwarf Japanese maple is great for smaller spaces in the garden, patio containers, fairy gardens, and some can even be trained as bonsai. These are  small Japanese maple trees that typically are around 6ft in height or less in 15 years. Medium-sized Japanese maples trees may reach 8-14 ft in height in this same time period. A medium-sized Japanese maple may be best used when you have a medium sized spot in your garden where other trees just grow too small or too big. These trees can often make a great focal point planting in a small garden. Large Japanese maple trees are Japanese maples that grow to be bigger in size. They are typically 15 ft+  in height in 15 years. Large Japanese maples make great shade trees in the landscape.

Did you know some Japanese maples can provide good winter interest? Some Japanese maples have a pine bark or coral bark that can really grab your attention and add interest to the winter garden. 

Now that you have started to figure out what you are looking for in a Japanese maple, what is the light conditions for this spot in your garden? Is it sun or shade? If you are looking at a spot that gets the hot afternoon sun, then you need to be looking at Japanese maples for the sun. If is full shade, dappled light, or morning sun, then you can shop in the Japanese maples for the shade.  

Now what is your hardiness zone? You can click here to figure out what your garden hardiness zone is, then figure out which Japanese maples fit in your garden. Most Japanese maples are good in zones 5-9, but some are even more cold hardy and can grow and thrive in zone 4.

If you are looking for a Japanese maple by name, you can simply look at our Japanese maples by alphabetical order. Remember the species name comes first, so Acer palmatum may be listed first, before laceleaf types that would be listed as Acer palmatum dissectum. 

Don't forget that when you are shopping on MrMaple, you can use the filter feature to further sort through each Japanese maple grouping. 

Now you realize why we produce over 1000 different cultivars of Japanese maples. We have a Japanese maple for every spot in your garden.  Thanks for your interest in our trees & don't forget to get a ginkgo to give good contrasting fall color with your Japanese maples.