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4. Types of Japanese maple
The common name of Japanese maple is given to two different species - Acer japonicum and A. palmatum. A. japonicum grows slowly into a bushy tree with a single trunk or a shrub with multiple stems, reaching 5-10ft after ten years. A. palmatum is of similar stature, usually growing on one stem as a small tree, although its low and mounding growth gives it a shrubby appearance.
Both have beautiful foliage with typically lobed leaves. A. japonicum and its cultivars have 7-13 lobes per leaf, each growing to 3 - 5 1/2 inches long on downy stalks. A. palmatum has 5-7 lobes per 2 - 4in leaf, and there are so many variations that horticulturists have divided the species into three groups. There are cultivars with 5-lobed leaves, those with larger (up to 5in) 7-lobed leaves and those having finely divided thread-like 7-11 lobed leaves. It's the finely divided leaves that have led these to be named as the dissectum group. This is the group that includes those much-admired shrubs giving a sculpted effect due to their drooping branches.
Apart from dissectum cultivars, another name to look out for is 'Osakasuzi', which is one of the 5-lobed leaf group. This cultivar is widely available and rightly so, because its yellowy-green leaves reliably turn to brilliant blood-red in autumn.
However, don't make the mistake of setting your heart on one particular maple too quickly - instead take the opportunity to visit a few gardens and note down names. Even better, try and see the national collection of Japanese cultivars at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire to compare their shapes, sizes and colours.
Having decided which maples will suit your garden, you may have difficulty finding them for sale, although many are widely available. The simplest way to track them down is to phone around your local garden centres (listed in the Yellow Pages). If none of these stock your choice, then the RHS Plant Finder will guide you to sources of supply.
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