Maple trees are especially beautiful this time of year, turning into bright, bold, centrepieces in the garden and yard for fall! This season is also a great time to plant shrubs, trees and other perennials, as there is enough time for the roots to establish themselves before the ground freezes.

On the West Coast we especially love our maples—we've even put together a list of our top Japanese maples trees for right here in this blog post. 

Whether you are planting a new Japanese maple, or caring for an established tree, you'll want to add a layer of composted mulch or another organic material around the base of your tree in the spring and fall. Not only does this look great, but it prevents weeds, gives them essential nutrients, and insulates the roots. 

The important thing to remember when adding soil or mulch around the base of your Japanese maple is to look out for the graft site. These trees are often grafted for easy propagation. The top tree part is called a scion and it is attached to a root. Your mulch, or soil, should never reach the grafting site on your Japanese maple tree trunk, otherwise, your scion might start growing roots of its own, which would negate the benefits of the original graft.

Make sure to keep the soil level at the same height as it was originally planted when you first purchased it. These are one of our favourite trees for the yard, because they are easy to care for an give us beautiful colour almost year-round!

Take a look at our other blog post - Caring for Your Japanese Maple Tree - for more tips and tricks!