Acer palmatum 'King George Broom'
Dwarf Red '"KGB" Japanese Maple

Zones 5-9

'King George Broom' is a new dwarf red Japanese maple that is quite unique. In the south, 'King George Broom' leafs out as a bright pink red to red, turning to dark maroon with emerald green interior color. The bright pink red flush in the summer creates a multi-color effect that is quite pleasing. Fall color is a bright orange to red. We expect 'King George Broom' to reach 3-4 ft in height and width in 10 years forming a tight ball shaped habit with age. This Japanese maple has also been known under the name "KGB".

Here is an excerpt from our friend Ed Shinn, aka NJ Acer, who grafted and introduced this selection into the nursery trade:

Acer palmatum ‘King George Broom’ (KGB)

"In February of 2011 I received an email from a good friend about a possible Acer palmatum dissectum witches broom. He had learned of the plant from one of his business partners. I was traveling to area to visit family and mentioned that I would be happy to check out the broom. I located the broom and was a little disappointed that it was not a dissectum but impressed and understood why people would think it was. The plant that the broom is growing on appears to be an Acer palmatum atropurpureum. The plant looks to be 20 to 30 feet tall and opens red and then fades to green and there is no visual sign of a graft union. The broom comes out of the base area of the tree on a single stem and wraps up and around to the left of the parent. The broom stands about five feet off the ground and it is about ten feet wide. I was told by the owners of the property that some of their friends had tried to reproduce the plant (by rooting) and were never successful. I sent the largest graft I had from my first batch back to the owners in a clay pot as a thank you. As of last week it was growing beautifully in their daughter’s garden.

The broom opens a bright red and then changes to a deep red. New growth continues to be the bright red and it lays over the deeper red giving an unusual appearance for this broom. The color on the original broom fades to a green in the summer as it is shaded by the parent tree. The grafts kept in the sun in NJ hold the red all seasons.

The name KGB or King George Broom came about because of discussions I have had with some maple propagator friends. Some of us feel that the same witches’ brooms may often be released under multiple names. This would be caused by different people noticing the broom and propagating it under their selected name. KGB was entered on the tags for the first round of grafts. When I was asked why I had a Russian spy maple, I mentioned that the name came from the location (King George St). If everyone used this naming we could help avoid duplication."

Limited Quantities Available !! As we have over a thousand cultivars of Japanese maples, we often do not have many of each cultivar. We recommend that you buy the Japanese maples you want immediately as we often sell out of certain selections.