Acer palmatum 'Tsukushigata' - Tsukushi gata Japanese Maple

An impressive small tree with deep,dark red foliage that maintains color throughout the season; good for adding interest to a landscape; may be pruned as a shrub

Height: 15 feet. Spread: 10 feet. Sun: full sun to partial shade. Hardiness zone: 4b.

Ornamental features

Tsukushigata Red Japanese Maple has attractive dark red foliage with dark green veins on a tree with an oval habit of growth. The serrated lobed palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn scarlet in fall.

Landscape

Tsukushigata Red Japanese Maple is a deciduous tree with a strong central leader and a shapely oval form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Recommended for: Accent, Mass Planting, General Garden Use, Container Planting.

Planting and growing

Tsukushigata Red Japanese Maple will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder.