Garden art isn’t restricted to statuary, murals and fountains. Art in the garden has a botanical relative, the Japanese maple.
A powerful piece of art draws the eye and stirs the senses. It reaches out, lures you into its space and kindles dopamine. Elegant, spectacular in form, vibrant in color, the Japanese maple is worthy of crowds at the Louvre, the Met, the Crocker.
Favored for grace and beauty, these ornamental trees burst into spring colors, settle into muted summer tones and deliver a knockout punch of fall hues.
The foliage color palette can be red, orange, green, pink, yellow, purple, bronze or bicolored. Some retain vivid spring colors into fall.
Foliage and form aren’t their only strengths. The trunks of Sango-kaku, Bloodgood, Beni-kawa and a few other Japanese maple cultivars, boast bright red to pink bark during the coldest winter months.
Japanese maples are grouped into more traditional upright growth with classic maple leaves and compact lace-leaf cultivars.
Lace-leaf trees are easy to spot, with leaves like delicate fingers resembling ferns. Growth is mostly 4 to 6 feet and nearly as wide. These trees grow in a mounding or weeping form, shaped like a mushroom. I have a Red Dragon lace leaf that’s 20 years old. It’s 5 feet tall and a bit wider.
Upright-growth Japanese maples appear like standard trees. A few reach 25 feet or more with dramatic colors. Leaves are palmate or shaped like a human hand.
Lace-leaf Japanese maples can grow in pots or ground. Containers allow gardeners to easily adjust soil to the slightly acidic mix these trees prefer.
Crimson queen, Tamukeyama, Red Dragon, Waterfall and Orangeola are among popular lace-leaf, weeping Japanese maple cultivars.
Bloodgood, Beni-kawa, Sango-kaku, Emperor 1 and Osakazuki are favorites among the upright-growth trees.
With more than 1,000 choices, there are many wonderful candidates. Choose what pleases your eye and fits your landscape. Gardeners may opt for one tree as a focal point or group several in a Japanese maple grove.
A 1-gallon nursery Japanese maple can be tucked into a pot and enjoyed on a condo or apartment balcony. Japanese maples like well-draining soil, a preference that suits containers.
Some are perfect for the Japanese art of bonsai, which is growing and maintaining a miniature tree in a container.
All the enticing credentials come with a caution. Japanese maples can be perplexing and a challenge to maintain in Sacramento.
Native to Southeast Asia, these trees prefer warm temperatures with humidity. Our beloved city is hot and dry in summer when humidity is scarce. As non-native plants, they aren’t water-efficient but need less water once established.
Lace-leaf trees are sensitive to leaf scorch in direct afternoon sun. Ideally, they are planted in morning sun and afternoon shade. Dappled sunlight and planting under larger trees work well.
Generally, plant them on east and north sides. Avoid west and south exposures unless shaded in the afternoon.
Mulching around Japanese maples with bark or woodchips is recommended to help retain soil moisture in hot weather.
Visit a neighborhood nursery and ask questions about Japanese maples that can best tolerate heat, plus general planting and maintenance advice. A reputable nursery will stock trees that have the best chances of thriving in local summer heat. Nurseries are in the business of pleasing, not disappointing, customers.
Sticker shock is normal with Japanese maples, especially larger trees. They undergo a grafting procedure, grow slow for added labor cost and are in great demand. Remember, you are purchasing a masterpiece for the outdoor gallery.
Dan Vierria is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener for Sacramento County. He can be reached at masterg29@gmail.com. For answers to gardening questions, contact UCCE Master Gardeners at (916) 876-5338, email mgsacramento@ucanr.edu or visit sacmg.ucanr.edu. Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
