My favorite is the Crimson Queen Japanese maple, mainly because it is one of the faster growing ones. Although they do appreciate protection from the cold winter winds and a bit of shade in afternoon in the summer months. In my colder area near Chicago (zone 5), the purple forms tend to do better.
There are green leaf forms, but they tend to only be hardy to zone 6. These are usually seen as purple leaf forms in my area. As a specimen often in a bed of evergreen ground cover, few top the lace leaf Japanese Maples. Whether we consider this a tree or a shrub, it would make our lists. #3 Laceleaf Japanese Maples ( Acer palmatum var. Recommended only for acidic wet soil conditions with the realization that it may end up being subject to invasive pest soon. Wildlife value: Good for river bed areas it is native to, although it is a genetic clone, so it provides little genetic diversity. If, however you are like most people and are planting in in front yards that are usually more doughty then wet, this is probably not the best tree for you. If that describes where you are going to be planting this tree, then this may be a good choice for you. Red maples are often called Swamp maplesfor a reason. They may look good for a while, but probably not long. red maples, as street trees in dry alkaline soil. It is slower growing and tends to have more issues with alkaline soil causing chlorosis (yellowing of leaf). It is over planted because of it’s great fall color (even better then the Autumn Blaze). This falls in the same category as the Autumn Blaze maple, except it is not a hybrid. #2 Red sunset Maple ( Acer rubrum ‘Franksred’ RED SUNSET) If you have already, I would keep it and enjoy it today. I would also recommend you consider planting a slower growing, hopefully longer lived non maple tree, not far from it. Not recommended as a long term tree. If you need a quick growing tree to provide shade then this tree might work for you. This means they add very little to the genetic diversity of our landscapes. All Autumn Blaze maples are genetic clones of each other. Wildlife value: As a hybrid of two native trees, you can expect this tree to provide some of the same wildlife benefits of it’s parents. I expect this one to be one of the major casualties. But I firmly believe we will see it soon. It may be the Asian long horned beetle or it might be something else. I thoroughly expect an exotic insect or disease to ravage our native maples soon. When trees are very common, they are more susceptible to spreading diseases and pests among themselves, think Dutch Elm Disease.īesides being over planted, there are other reasons to be concerned about this and in fact all of our native maples. There is probably not a subdivision in my state where you can’t find this tree. This tree, along with one of it’s parents which we will cover in a bit, is way over planted. Autumn Blaze maple fall color in a good year. It also does not hurt that this tree has a great red fall color. They were so fast growing that the couple of years of slower growth due to transplant shock on the larger trees allowed the smaller ones to catch up. I remember seeing a display at a Minnesota arboretum years ago that showed how over a five year period Autumn blaze maples with a trunk diameter of 1 inch were larger then 3″ diameter sized ones. The same Autumn Blaze maple 9 years later. This was the size of an Autumn Blaze maple at planting. Nurseries get to sell you a bigger tree years quicker and customers get the shade they want sooner. This fast growth has made this tree an absolute favorite of nurseries and impatient customers. This hybrid of the native silver maple ( Acer saccharinum) and the red maple ( Acer rubrum) is a very fast growing specimen. This tree is planted by just about everybody and for good reasons, it is a great tree by many criteria. While I sorted this list by Latin name, this tree would have been at the top if I sorted it by most used also. Landscapers favorite trees #1 Autumn Blaze Maple ( Acer × freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ AUTUMN BLAZE) Since I have my own strong opinions on these, I’ll get add more of my own rambling commentary about landscapers favorite trees. Over the next few posts we will also cover shrubs and the area I am learning the most new info about, the perennials. Since it is still prime time for tree planting, we will start there. We however can be a little more picky.ĭo your landscaping goals include helping wildlife? (and why shouldn’t it?)
Just because a plant looks great may make it one of landscapers favorite trees. Most of these landscape designs are for normal people who want a low care, great looking landscape. Since switching from a public garden to a commercial landscaping industry, I’ve had a chance to pay more attention to what plants are being used by landscapers in my area.
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