Acer Palmatum

The Japanese Maple tree, Acer palmatum, is a small, spreading plant that prefers partial shade and has rich red, orange and gold autumn leaves. Ideal for small gardens and growing in pots.
Japanese Maple will reach no more than about 5 metres tall.

Browse our variety of acer trees or see our full range of garden trees for sale.

Japanese Maple plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March).
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

General description of Japanese Maple plants:
This elegant little tree is perfect for small, shady city gardens. It is actually better not to plant it in full sun, where its leaves may get scorched in a hot summer.
Japanese Maple is a slow growing tree that is best left unpruned if possible; it is naturally graceful and pruning often does more harm than good to its structure, at least while the tree is still young.

History & uses of Acer palmatum:
Also called Smooth Japanese Maple, this tree has been cultivated for so long, into so many forms, that it is hard to be certain what the wild tree looks like. Our trees are grown from seed, which about as close to wild as you can get. It is native from Russia to Japan and down to Korea. The first specimen was brought to Britain in the 1820's. The name palmatum means "like a hand", which refers to the five fingered shape of the leaves. It is a famous bonsai tree.

Growing Japanese Maple plants:
Japanese Maple will grow well in almost any fertile soil, preferring acidic conditions. It likes heavy clay and will thrive in quite damp, but not waterlogged, places. It can tolerate growing on chalk, but we don't recommend it. They are hardy trees, but they need a sheltered site if you live in the North and Scotland; cold dry winds can ruin the appeal of their leaves.
Unlike most plants, Japanese Maple prefers a shady location to a sunny one.
Not suitable for poor, dry soils.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the area where you plant your trees several months in advance, especially if the soil is poor. Destroy the weeds first: nettles, brambles and ground elder are tough and a glyphosate based weed-killer is the best way to remove them. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades. If your soil is rich, you don't have to dig it over, but killing all the weeds is still necessary.

Watch our video on how to plant a country hedge for full details.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass with Roundup weed killer.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a plastic spiral guard for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser and Growmore.

Read our full terms and conditions here.

Delivery: The basic delivery charge for orders of bareroot plants is £6.50 + vat, which increases to £12.55 + vat if you add any pot-grown plants, standard trees or fruit trees to the order.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Shade	Partial Shade
Also Good	Autumn Colour

	NUMBER OF PLANTS
SIZES	1-9	10-49	50-249	250-999	1000+
60/80 cm Bareroot	Out of Stock £3.47	Out of Stock £2.37	Out of Stock £2.04	Out of Stock £1.68	Out of Stock £1.25

Japanese Maple Seedlings

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Acer Palmatum