Amur maple

Amur maple: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small tree or large shrub, 5–6 m tall and as wide, often multi-stemmed with a broad, rounded crown.

Leaves

4–8 cm, with three lobes, the middle one much longer; toothed margin, glossy dark green. Scarlet to fiery red in autumn.

Flower

Small yellowish-white flowers in clusters in May, with the young leaves; softly fragrant.

Fruit

Winged double fruits with almost parallel wings, bright red in July–August, later brown.

Roots

Finely branched and fairly shallow; only tough, shade-tolerant plants grow beneath the crown.

Flowering: May · Plants: March–April and October–December · Pruning: July–August

Why grow it?

• Fiery red autumn colour, among the brightest of all maples.
• Fragrant flowers in May: a welcome source of nectar and pollen for bees.
• Red, winged fruits in summer, like a second flowering.
• Small and often multi-stemmed: it suits smaller gardens too and can be grown as an informal hedge.
• Very hardy and not fussy about soil.

Amur maple: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for the brightest autumn colour; partial shade is possible, but the colour is weaker.
• Almost any soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky, as long as it is not waterlogged.
• Moderately moist; once established it also copes with a dry summer.
• Allow 5–6 m of space for a tree; for a hedge, plant 50–70 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Miscanthus: An ornamental grass that also turns gold and red in autumn, in the same sunny spot.
• Ice plant: Flat pink flower heads in late summer, full of bees and butterflies.
• Michaelmas daisy: Blue and purple flowers in autumn beside the fiery red leaves.
• Crocus: Early flowers beneath the bare branches, also for bees.

Amur maple: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–December.

1. Plant in March–April or from October to December, when the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and loosen the bottom.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Water well straight away, even if it is raining.
5. Mulch with leaf mould or wood chips, keeping it off the stems.

Care

Water

In the first year, weekly in dry spells. After that, only in long dry periods.

Feeding

Usually not needed. A little compost in spring on poor soil.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould in spring keeps the soil cool and weeds down.

Seedlings

Pull up seedlings in spring while they are small, before they form a strong root.

Hedge

Trim a hedge once a year, in July–August.

Tip: Plant it in full sun and give it no extra fertiliser: the leaves will then turn the brightest red in autumn. Prune only in summer.

Amur maple: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August.

When: Prune only in summer, in July–August, when the tree is in full leaf.

How:

• Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches, just outside the branch collar.
• On a multi-stemmed tree, take out the thinnest and most crooked stems and keep three to five good ones.
• For a single-stemmed tree, gradually remove the lowest side branches.
• Trim a hedge into shape in July–August; it regrows well.

Caution: Do not prune from January to May: maples ‘bleed’ heavily from the wounds then.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow ripe seed in a pot in autumn and stand it outside in the cold; the seedlings come up in spring.

Softwood cuttings

In June, 10 cm cuttings from young shoots in moist cutting compost under plastic. This gives plants identical to the parent.

Amur maple: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −35 °C: in Belgium it never needs protection.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall and wrap the pot in hessian so that the roots do not freeze.
• In winter you can see which branches cross or are too crowded; note them and prune only in summer.

Diseases and pests

• Verticillium wilt: Branches suddenly wilt in summer, with brown streaks in the wood. Cut them well back into healthy wood and disinfect your secateurs; there is no cure.
• Aphids: Sticky young leaves in May–June. Ladybirds and parasitic wasps usually clear them up; otherwise hose them off with water.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in late summer, especially in dry weather. Water and allow space; the tree is rarely troubled by it.
• Poor autumn colour: Usually caused by too much shade or too much fertiliser. A sunny spot and no extra feeding help.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Pull up seedlings. Give compost on poor soil.
• April: Plant. Apply mulch.
• May: Fragrant flower clusters; lots of bees. Watch for aphids.
• June: Take softwood cuttings. Water in dry spells.
• July: Prune or trim a hedge. Red fruits.
• August: Last pruning. Water in dry spells.
• October: Fiery red autumn colour. Plant. Sow ripe seed.
• November: Plant.
• December: Plant in frost-free weather.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• It is one of the few maples with clearly fragrant flowers.
• It comes from regions with long, harsh winters and tolerates frost down to about −35 °C.
• In North America it was widely planted as a windbreak and hedge; it has since gone wild in many places there.