Japanese maple. Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Plants and Bulbs | 32 comments
I bought this little tree on eBay three years ago. It looks bereft now in autumn and it is rapidly losing its leaves. They have turned from dark purple to a stunning red. For nine months it delights me. The foliage is small, dainty and exquisite. I had always thought that Japanese maples were a bit prinky, until I got one. Somehow this diminutive tree has crept under my skin. I would like to buy more.
Old friends had a large one in a stone pot in their garden and it looked superb. I was disappointed when mine arrived. It looked so small and tatty. Somehow I imagined that it would magically have thick foliage from day one like the tree I had seen at my friends’.
I potted it on in year two and it settled down and started to look much happier. This year it has really come into its own and loved the rainy summer. I plan to move it to a bigger pot in the spring.
Our acer lives near the east facing back wall of the cottage so it gets morning sun and shade in the afternoons. I reckon that during its first two summers it needed more water than it was given. Next year I am planning to set up automatic watering for the pots at the back of the cottage as they easily get forgotten when we are busy.
These Japanese maples are slow growing trees. In the spring and summer the delicate leaves of our specimen are a dark burgundy colour which looks pretty as a contrast to the pale walls of the cottage. In autumn, the leaves turn to this superb red. When I moved the scented geraniums out of the pots beside the back door, I replaced them with the maple so that we can see it when we open the door and enjoy the autumn colour as the leaves fall.
Maples can be expensive to buy but a brief foray onto the Internet this morning tells me that they are a cut price bargain in the Autumn and Winter. Thompson and Morgan is selling an 18 specimen for £8.99. So if you would like to own one this would be the perfect time to buy one. You wouldn’t really start to enjoy the little tree until the Spring but the saving would make it worth the wait.
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Can you help, my Japanese Acer looked absolutely fabulous yesterday but today the leaves have curled up & it looks really like it’s on death’s door – it has been very windy but I thought it was in a sheltered spot. It is in a pot and watered ok.
Hi Roy(U.K)
I’ve had better results with Acers in pots than in the gound. I have no idea why – perhaps they get more attention in a pot!
Sorry not to be able to be more specific.
Hello everyone,I was thinking of planting my Acer, but it seems everyone keeps them in pots which is best? I have bought it all advice would be appreciated.Thanks Roy
Hi Nigel
Thanks for the link and your advice. Much appreciated.
The idea that maples need special compost is really a mythe, see: www.thebigplantnursery.co.uk ,
I have over twenty of these in a veriety of pots and ground conditions, some in a chalky sobsoil in norfolk, they all do well and over winter in the garden with no special care.
Do look at the site above they have so muc usfull info and are so helpfull if you need advice.
regards
Nigel
Hi Kate(uk)
Thanks for your tips on acers! They are very beautiful and somehow, in pots, I notice them more.
I’m on chalk, so my acers have to do in pots, they are in ericaceous compost but most often get watered with used bathwater and only get the rainwater if I have enough left.They are thirsty and I give them some sequestrine once a year to make up for the chalky water and have the top of the soil mulched with stones to keep in the moisture.My oldest one has stood this treatment for over ten years, with only two re-pottings in that time,so they don’t seem to mind being kept on the small side, or being pruned to keep in good shape. They were particularly beautiful this autumn, a friend and I went to the Saville Garden near Windsor last week and the maples were so bright they hurt our eyes!
Hi Mildred,
This is the first summer that I have started moving the pots around in our garden so that we can enjoy them at their best. It’s very easy to have a blinkered view of the garden and miss some wonderful moments.
Great to hear about the hedgehogs, they are lucky to live in such a caring environment.
Hi Jackie,
Glad that you are enjoying the site.
The acer is in ordinary potting compost and seems to love it. It does dry out quite quickly so needs quite a lot of watering. I’m not sure how it would be on chalk. I think that they look great in pots.
Thanks for dropping by.
I’ve been visiting your blog for a while, lovely, refreshingly English, countrystuff!
Do you have the acer in ericaceous compost? Immersed as I am in my veg growing, I have dim ornamental memories of them being acid loving? I’m quite tempted by the T&M offer, but we’re chalk – mind you I’d probably want it in a pot, anyway.
What a lovely Acer Fi, a beautiful colour. We have a similar sized one also in a big pot. We like some shrubs/plants in tubs, you can move the plant for winter to a sheltered position if required!
We spent this afternoon wrapping fleece round a few tender plants and their tubs, and then moving them to a cosy, dry part of the garden for their winter hibernation.
Talking of hibernation, the hedgehogs are still popping out for their supper (or should that be breakfast?) at around 6pm. When they have had their fill they return to their snuggly houses in the garden! What a lovely life 🙂