Maple Trees for the West Coast Gardener!
The world of Maple trees is ours for the taking, fellow West Coast Gardeners! Our climate here on the west coast is mild, compared to elsewhere in Canada, and perfect for growing these colourful garden accents. A Maple tree often gives you spectacular colour in the spring, summer and fall. You can get trees in all shapes and sizes, to perfectly fit that spot in your yard, so read on and discover our five favourites…
Purple Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
A beautiful spot of colour in the garden, this tree loves full sun or partial shade. As a Japanese Maple, it’s smaller than regular maple trees, reaching full height between 26′. It’s slow growing and can take 20-50 years to grow to its full size! During the summer it often has darker purple leaves, which turn bright red in autumn.
Coral Bark Maple
‘Sango kaku’
An absolutely striking tree, the Coral Bark Maple has a gorgeous pink trunk and branches that stand out amid the lime coloured leaves. The beautiful leaves often turn yellow-gold in the autumn, creating quite the sight.
It can grow to be up to 20′ but only after 30-50 years in your yard. Give it full sun to partial shade in order to keep it happy and healthy.
Sycamore Maple
‘Brilliantissimum’
A feature tree for your yard, the colours seem to never stop with the Sycamore Maple. New growth is a soft pink, turning yellow-green and then maturing to a dark green colour.
This Maple tree is drought tolerant and loves full sun. It is also tolerant of a wide range of soil types, making it perfect for many diverse yards. It will grow to a height of 40′ so make sure to leave plenty of room for it to stretch!
Golden Full Moon Maple
Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’
Each of these stunning leaves has 13 lobes, spreading like fans off the branches. These leaves start out lime-gold and will become red and gold in the fall. This Maple can stay small at 15′ or continue to grow to about 30′. Give it full sunlight, with minimal shade, for best results.
Cascade Tree
Acer palmatum
As the name suggests, this Japanese Maple has delicately arching branches that create cascades of gorgeous leaves. The beautiful leaves are a copper red when they emerge, and become green in the summer. During the autumn they burst into colour again in reds and oranges, with the tree’s branches also joining in and turning red.
A small tree, it grows to about 10′ high and is bushy, with a spread of about 8′ wide. Keep it in full sun or partial shade, making sure the soil is well drained.
