Japanese Acers

Japanese Maples are deciduous trees and are renowned for their spectacular Autumn foliage when their leaves turn different shades of red, gold, yellow & orange depending on the variety. There are also different forms of growth habit, some cultivars are weeping trees, some grow into a dome like shape and some have a more open, branching structure and depending on the variety and leaf colour, some of the maples prefer a dappled shade and some like a more sunny position, however they all prefer to be planted in a sheltered position out of strong winds. 

Japanese Acers need to be planted in a fertile, well drained soil but not too dry. A good idea when planting, is to incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil to help improve the fertility and moisture retention, this will give your tree a great start. Keep well watered after planting for the first year, as with planting most trees, its advisable to give the tree a good soaking once a week rather than a little dribble every day. The idea is to get those roots growing down into the soil. If you choose to plant your Acer into a pot or container, then we recommend planting in John Innes number 3 mixed with some good quality multi-purpose compost or soil improver. As with any plant grown in a container you need to water and fertilise well as the plant's roots cannot search for water like they would in the ground, you have to be the mummy (or daddy :).