Picture some of the most beautiful garden that you ’ve ever understand . Chances are , many of them had a Japanese maple or two ( or three ) . That ’s because these trees are so incredibly unique , graceful , and coloured .

Plus , there are so many sizing , flesh , and growth combination uncommitted , you ’re sure to find what you need to add height , texture , or color to a garden display .

Chances are , if you need a modest Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to add interest to your own garden , there ’s a Nipponese maple that fits the note .

A close up horizontal image of the deep red autumn foliage of a Japanese maple tree growing in the garden.

‘Autumn Moon’

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That said , the miraculous variation available is also what makes shopping for one of these trees a bit challenging . A well - stocked baby’s room can be downright overpowering !

This guide will help you to narrow down the hunting . Up ahead , we feature some of the best options out there .

A close up vertical image of the foliage of a Japanese maple tree turning from green to red in the fall. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

Whether they are particularly intrepid , exceptionally beautiful , or one of the more popular or unique trees out there , there ’s something on this list for everyone who is in the market for aJapanese maple to grow at nursing home .

Here are the tree you ’re about to acquire all about :

21 Favorite Japanese Maple Varieties

There are some pretty incredible trees on this tilt , so let ’s derail in good order in !

1. Autumn Moon

Obviously , I sleep with all my Japanese maple children every bit . But if there is one tree diagram that I tend to show off just a number more than the others , it’sA. shirasawanum‘Autumn Moon . ’

This unsloped tree stays fairly heavyset , top out at about 12 feet , though it takes old age to reach that point . But its sizing is n’t its most exceptional aspect .

The foliage is the real knockout lineament .

A close up horizontal image of the dramatic foliage of Acer palmatum ‘Autumn Moon’ fading to soft focus in the background.

In the springtime , it ’s xanthous and orange before tilt to salmony - red during the summertime . In the declination , it changes to vibrant orange and red .

And rather than having the familiar deeply lobed leaves that you ’ll see on many Japanese maple , the leaf on this tree look like big palms with seven or nine stubby “ fingers . ”

It produce best in Zones 5 to 8 , and needs full sunlight to really show its vividness .

A close up of the foliage of ‘Autumn Moon’ Acer palmatum pictured on a soft focus background.

‘ Autumn Moon ’

you may find ‘ Autumn Moon ’ plant in one- and three - Imperial gallon containersavailable from Maple Ridge Nursery .

2. Beni Kawa

A. palmatum‘Beni Kawa ’ is n’t just beautiful when it ’s primp up in its full summer foliage . It has lustrous coral - colored barque that makes a striking statement in the wintertime garden as well .

The leaves pop out with a hopeful green color in the spring , bit by bit transition to golden yellow in the fall .

At under 10 foot marvellous and wide-cut , it wo n’t push out the rest of the plants in your landscape painting . It also has a lovely arching growth habit .

A close up horizontal image of Acer palmatum ‘Beni Kawa’ growing in the garden.

‘ Beni Kawa ’

‘ Beni Kawa ’ thrives in warmer areas than some other cultivar , and it ’s suit to Zones 5 to 9 .

you could buy plantsfrom Maple Ridge Nursery .

A close up of the foliage of a large ‘Beni Kawa’ Japanese maple tree growing in the garden.

3. Butterfly

A. palmatum‘Butterfly ’ stand out because it has average - green leaves with distinct silvery white border .

And some leaves may be exclusively light-green while others are entirely silvery snowy , give the entire Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree a lovely variegated show .

That ’s not all , though . In the outflow , new growth is pinkish on the margins , while in the fall , the margins of the deeply lobate leaf turn bright magenta . It ’s an impressive sight .

A close up horizontal image of the variegated foliage of Acer palmatum ‘Butterfly’ pictured on a gray background.

‘ butterfly stroke ’ take partial sunshine and only arise in Zones 6 to 8 . When mature , it reach up to 12 metrical unit grandiloquent and eight feet wide with an upright growth habit .

‘ coquet ’

you may find two- to three - foot ‘ butterfly stroke ’ plantsavailable for leverage at Fast Growing Trees .

A square image of ‘Butterfly’ Japanese maple growing in a perennial border.

4. Coonara Pygmy

A. palmatum‘Coonara Pygmy ’ stay diminutive , only growing to about ten feet tall – about half the size of some larger Japanese maple – with an just use . It ’s hardy in Zones 6 to 9 .

The deeply lobate leaves are pink as they first emerge in the spring before turn shiny green in the summer . In the fall , the leaf becomes bright crimson with small fleck of icteric .

‘ Coonara Pygmy ’

A close up horizontal image of Acer palmatum ‘Coonara Pygmy’ growing in the garden with foliage in soft focus in the background.

peck up ‘ Coonara Pygmy ’ in one- and three - gal containersat Maple Ridge Nursery .

5. Coral Bark

A. palmatum‘Sango Kaku ’ is another Nipponese maple with bright coral bark . Its name have in mind “ coral towboat . ” The color becomes more acute as the seasons become cooler .

Hardy in Zones 5 to 8 , the leaves on this tree diagram are bright green with red margins in the summertime , turning brilliant yellow in the fall .

Once mature , this striking tree stands with an good use at 20 to 25 feet marvellous .

A close up of an Acer palmatum ‘Coonora Pygmy’ growing in a small pot set on a wooden surface.

‘ Sango Kaku ’

‘ Sango Kaku ’ is ideal if you need something that not only bestow color to the yard during the grow time of year , but also during the dormant winter calendar month .

profound good?Nature Hills Nursery carries this plantin # 2 containers .

A close up horizontal image of Acer palmatum ‘Coral Bark’ pictured in light sunshine.

Read more about growing coral bark miscellany here .

6. Crimson Queen

An fabulously popular Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , ‘ Crimson Queen ’ is a dwarfA. palmatumcultivar .

It ’s wider than it is magniloquent , eventually grow to about eight feet tall and 12 feet wide , withelegantly weeping branches . Its soma can add some interesting dimension to your garden .

The foliage can appear to have a unlike hue depending on the amount of light source it receives . In fond sun , the lacy leave are maroon .

A close up square image of ‘Coral Bark’ Japanese maple pictured on a soft focus background.

In spots that receive more light , the color is a brighter red . In the fall , the foliage becomes a dazzling crimson .

‘ Crimson Queen ’

‘ Crimson Queen ’ is hardy in Zones 5 to 9 . To apprehend one for your M , head to Nature Hills Nursery , where you could purchase a three - twelvemonth - honest-to-god plant .

A close up horizontal image of the foliage of Acer ‘Crimson Queen’ pictured on a dark background.

recover growing and upkeep tips for this cultivar here .

7. Emperor One

This cultivar looks like to theexceptionally democratic ‘ Bloodgood,’but disagree in that it only grows to about 15 feet tall ( in tens old age ) with an just growth habit . It ’s hardy in Zones 5 to 8 .

ThisA. palmatumcultivar is one the hardy maple out there , rarelysuffering from pestsanddiseases .

The foliage is stunning , transitioning from deep maroon to bright red in the fall .

A close up square image of the wispy foliage of Acer ‘Crimson Queen’ close up.

‘ Emperor One ’

Our friends at Nature Hills Nursery carry this beautyin # 2 containers .

8. Green Cascade

A. japonicum‘Green Cascade ’ is an upright full moon maple that produce in Zones 5 to 7 , and reaches about 20 feet marvelous and 25 feet wide .

With rounded and palmate foliage , somewhat resembling a fern , the profoundly lobate and heavily serrated emerald green leaves turn shining ruby-red and yellow in the descent .

In the garden , the gist is extremely impressive . It ’s almost like having a monolithic , shade - providing fern in your garden .

A close up horizontal image of the red fall foliage of ‘Emperor One’ Japanese maple pictured on a dark background.

‘ Green Cascade ’

‘ Green Cascade ’ is useable in one- , three- , seven- , 15- , and 25 - gallon containersat Maple Ridge Nursery .

9. Higasayama

While Nipponese maples lean to really reflect in the fall when their foliage turns to a different hue , ‘ Higasayama ’ also puts on an elegant presentation in the spring .

The leaves bud out with a green base enveloped in a bright pinkish outside .

‘ Higasayama ’

A close up square image of the deep red foliage of Acer ‘Emperor One’ growing in the garden.

As the leave-taking open , they bring out a creamy pink display before wrick late green with creamy margins . ThisA. palmatumis happy in Zones 5 to 8 , with an upright , unfastened growth habit that tops out at about 18 feet tall .

Japanese Maples and Evergreens via Amazoncarries this salient tree diagram as a two - class - old plant if you ’re spoil to sum up it to your quad .

10. Hogyoku

Gardeners in zone 5 to 9 can grow this elegantA. palmatum , also sleep with as the “ Golden Jewel of Fall . ”

While ‘ Hogyokou ’ is beautiful all summer with its unripened , yellow , orange , and slightly red - tinged leaves , it ’s the bright pumpkin orange color it exhibit in the fall that really fend out .

‘ Hogyoku ’

A close up vertical image of a potted ‘Green Cascade’ Japanese maple in a large plant nursery greenhouse.

This upright tree diagram is medium - sized when fledged , at about 15 foot marvellous and 10 base wide-eyed . This is a cultivar that does better in full Sunday than many others .

If you ’re croak to get your hands on ‘ Hogyoku ’ – and I ca n’t blame you – head on over to Maple Ridge Nursery .

11. Koto Ito Komachi

No guide to Japanese maples would be double-dyed without the endearing , classicA.palmatumcultivar ‘ Koto Ito Komachi . ’

The leaf on this tree have five strand - like lobes and are light unripened in the summer before turningbright orange in the fall .

It almost resemble a tinyweeping willow tree , and grows upright to just six feet tall and five feet wide-eyed when fledged .

A close up of the fall foliage of ‘Green Cascade’ Japanese maple growing in the garden.

‘ Koto Ito Komachi ’

Hardy in Zones 6 to 9 , you could grow it in Zone 5 if it ’s in a protect blot .

you could discover ‘ Koto Ito Komachi ’ in starter flock and three - gallon containersat Maple Ridge Nursery .

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12. Lion’s Mane

A. palmatum‘Shishigashira , ’ also known as ‘ Lion ’s Mane , ’ does n’t look like your average maple . The leaves grow packed close together and they ’re a deep , shining green with crease margins .

At summer ’s remnant and into autumn , it gradually turns yellow and orange .

‘ Lion ’s Mane ’ stays under six foot tall with an unsloped riding habit , and is hardy in Zones 6 to 9 . The leaves may burn at the confidential information if grown in direct sun in spicy climates .

A close up of a bright green leaf of Acer palmatum ‘Hogyoku’ growing in the garden.

‘ Shishigashira ’

you’re able to pluck up plants in one- , three- , seven- , 15- , and 25 - gallon containersat Maple Ridge Nursery .

13. Osakazuki

For spill color , it ’s hard to exhaust ‘ Osakazuki . ’ ThisA. palmatumtree has intensely bright orange - scarlet leaves in the autumn that ride out on the tree for several weeks .

In spring and summertime , the leaves are shiny unripe . Each folio has seven lobes and serrate sharpness .

‘ Osakazuki ’ win the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit in 1993 .

A close up vertical image of the foliage of Acer ‘Kito Ito Komachi’ growing in a large pot.

‘ Osakazuki ’

Best suited to zona 5 to 8 , it grows up to 25 invertebrate foot tall and 15 feet wide-eyed with an upright , rounded shape .

Maple Ridge Nursery carries‘Osakazuki ’ in a variety of dissimilar sizes .

A close up of the bright green foliage of ‘Koto Ito Komachi’ Japanese maple.

14. Red Dragon

Hardy in Zones 5 to 8 , the popular ‘ Red Dragon ’ is compact with a tidy , cry ontogenesis substance abuse . ThisA. palmatumcultivar appease extremely small-scale , just six to eight feet wide of the mark and marvelous when mature .

But what really makes ‘ Red Dragon ’ stand out is its sensational foliage color in the free fall .

The summer hue is an extremely dark Burgundy wine , changing toa luminescent redin fall that much glows from within .

A close up horizontal image of Acer ‘Lion’s Mane’ growing indoors pictured on a soft focus background.

‘ Red Dragon ’

Add some color to your yard by purchase a plantfrom Maple Ridge Nursery . Choose from one- , three- , seven- , 15- , and 25 - gallon container .

We have a full template to growing this cultivar here .

A close up of a small ‘Shishigashira’ tree growing in front of a residence.

15. Scolopendrifolium

If you require something a little different , get your work force on ‘ Scolopendrifolium , ’ also make out as ‘ Shinobuga Oka . ’

The leave-taking on thisA. palmatumtree have incredibly tenacious , narrow lobe that are part down to the base .

In the summer , the leaves are bright green , while the stem , semen fuel pod , and blossoms are all ruby . The overall effect is impressive .

A close up horizontal image of the bright red foliage of ‘Osakazuki’ Japanese maple pictured on a soft focus background.

This upright , spreading , 15 - substructure tree is likely breed in touchy greenish straps with the red adding a striking contrast , and it spring up well in Zones 5 to 9 .

16. Seiryu

Every single other green lacing - leaf maple that we bonk of has a crying or cascading growing habit . ‘ Seiryu ’ is credited as being the only warm just grower with green lacy leaves .

It does n’t rise awful tall , outride under 15 feet , but it usually maxes out nearer to 10 animal foot .

‘ Seiryu ’ is beseem to zona 5 to 9 , and does estimable in part shade , since full sun can scorch the leaves . The leaf is shining green in the spring and summertime , turning golden yellow with violent tips in the capitulation .

A close up vertical image of the bright pinkish-red leaves of ‘Osakazuki’ growing in the garden.

‘ Seiryu ’

Add this kind to your yard by buy a tree in a one- , three- , or 15 - gallon containerfrom Maple Ridge Nursery .

17. Usugumo

If you want a maple that will really digest out , seek outA. pictum‘Usugumo , ’ a rarefied paint foliage batwing maple .

This folio contour is n’t unwashed and it looks nothing like the deeply - lobed leaf that most people are intimate with .

In the spring , this stunner issue with soft pink leaves that change to common in the summer .

A close up horizontal image of the deep red foliage of ‘Red Dragon’ Japanese maple growing in the garden.

From far away , the leaves face like they are a uniform soft , pale green , but up closely , you may see that they are really motley .

Each folio has a deep green base with green nervure , and cream or pale yellow mottling . In the fall , the leaves sour pale yellow .

This upright tree does best in Zones 5 to 9 and is perfect for a small space or container . It never grows taller than about seven feet .

A close up vertical image of the deep red foliage of Acer palmatum ‘Scolopendrifolium’ growing in the garden.

18. Velvet Viking

This gorgeousA. palmatumspecimen may see delicate with its lovely lacey leave , but it ’s actually quite sturdy , and it is hardy in Zones 4 to 9 .

Adwarf cultivar , ‘ Velvet Viking ’ has an elegant tears form , spreading low and wide . At maturity , it reach only three feet grandiloquent and five metrical unit wide .

The violet - ruddy foliage turn an intense , bright Red River in the fall .

A close up vertical image of Acer ‘Seiryu’ growing in a black plastic pot.

19. Villa Taranto

ThisA. palmatumdwarf variety has red , fleeceable , and cream - colour variegated leave , and has an upright vase - shape growing drug abuse .

The foliation is deeply lob so that each foliage almost looks like it has five or more string - like fingers .

It does well in zone 5 to 8 , and can be grown in full sunshine in cool area , or part tad in red-hot spots .

A close up of the light green foliage of ‘Seriyu’ Japanese maple growing in the garden.

If this maple is phone your name ( and I totally understand),head on over to Maple Ridge Nurseryto grab a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in a one- or three - Imperial gallon container .

20. Viridis

If you require a lacy , greenA. palmatumJapanese maple that you’re able to grow in a container or a small field , ‘ Viridis ’ is an fantabulous pick .

It only grows to six feet tall and wide , butcan easily be prunedto stay about four invertebrate foot marvellous and three feet wide-eyed . Its growth riding habit is a gracefully mounding cascade .

The foliage is deep lob with heavily toothed gross profit in a marvellous rich tone of jet that transitions to orange , yellow , and violent in the autumn .

A close up vertical image of the large green foliage of Acer ‘Usugumo’ growing in a black plastic pot outdoors.

‘ Viridis ’

Pick up your own two - year - sure-enough live treeat Nature Hills Nursery .

21. Vitifolium

A. japonicum‘Vitifolium ’ has leaf that almost looks like grape leaves , which turn intensely gilded and scarlet in the downfall . In the spring , they are bronze as they emerge and open , at which point they commence to plow a vivid greens .

Plus , it has beautiful burgundy flowers in the spring . Most maples are n’t noted for their blossoms , but this one is because of the path the blooms bear out against the bright light-green foliation .

‘ Vitifolium ’ deliver the goods the RHS Award of Garden of Merit in 1993 . It grows with an vertical habit to 15 foot grandiloquent and wide , and is hardy in Zones 5 to 7 .

A horizontal image of the fall colors of a Acer palmatum ‘Villa Taranto’ growing in a formal garden.

‘ Vitifolium ’

sell ? You ca n’t go incorrect with this beauty . you may find plant usable in one- , three- , seven- , 15- , and 25 - gallon containersat Maple Ridge Nursery .

There Are So Many Japanese Maples to Love

We were n’t kidding when we said there are a long ton of unlike Japanese maples to take from !

This really is an incredibly varied group of trees , and that ’s part of their charm . But now , you hopefully have a better idea of which one is perfect for your space .

And for more information aboutJapanese maple Tree , check out the following guides next :

A close up horizontal image of a small Acer palmatum ‘Viridis’ shrub growing in a formal rock garden.

Photos by Kristine Lofgren © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally published June 29 , 2021 . Last updated February 24 , 2023 . Product pic via FastGrowingTrees.com , Nipponese Maples and Evergreens , Maple Ridge Nursery , and Nature Hills Nursery . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .

About

Kristine Lofgren

A close up square image of a rounded Japanese maple ‘Viridis’ tree growing in the garden next to a road.

A close up horizontal image of a large Acer japonicum ‘Vitifolium’ tree growing in the garden pictured in bright sunshine.

A close up vertical image of the autumn foliage of Acer palmatum ‘Vitifolium’ growing in a terra cotta pot.