Maple species play a key role in creative garden design. Thanks to a multifaceted variety of varieties, the range extends from the majestic maple tree for the spacious park to the elegant dwarf shrub for tubs and balconies. Immerse yourself in a hand-picked selection of the most beautiful types and varieties for your green kingdom.

The sycamore maple grows up to 30 meters high

Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) - the turnip among the maple species

Sycamore maple is a stately maple tree that makes an impressive statement in parks. With a height of up to 30 meters and a picturesque crown up to 15 meters wide, the giant gives you a bright firework of colors in autumn. The tree of the year 2009 is also the originator of two grandiose varieties:

  • Leopoldii: leaves mottled with yellow in ever-changing patterns; 10 to 20 m in height and 4 to 6 m crown diameter
  • Prinz Handjery: ideal for small gardens with a broadly oval or spherical crown, golden-yellow autumn colours; 4 to 7 m growth height

Despite the admiration for its beauty, the dark side of sycamore and its varieties cannot be overlooked. Researchers recently found that this maple tree contains a poison deadly to horses and donkeys. The toxin is responsible for widespread willow myopathy, the cause of which has long been a mystery.

Norway maple (Acer platanoides) - progenitor of brilliant varieties

We owe a whole host of magnificent varieties to the native Norway maple. As a pure species, the maple tree inspires with a growth height of 15 to 25 meters and pointed, 5 to 7-lobed ornamental leaves. Its yellow-orange-red autumn colors are spectacular. Knowledgeable breeders have refined the distinctive characteristics into shapely varieties:

  • Golden Globe: rare maple tree with golden yellow leaves that turn green in autumn; 6 to 10 m growth height
  • Blood maple 'Faassen's Black': spherical, yellow-red flowers in March, black-red foliage in summer; 10 to 15 m growth height
  • Drummondii: leaves with white margins that sparkle in the summer wind, conical, later spherical crown; 7 to 10 m growth height

The crowd favorite among the Norway maple varieties is the elegant globe maple 'Globosum'. The versatile maple tree scores with a spherical crown that flattens slightly with age and provides pleasant shade. With a growth height of 350 to 600 cm, the beautifully proportioned variety decorates the front garden, lines an avenue or flanks the house entrance.

Slotted maple (Acer palmatum) - maple tree from Asia

A maple tree migrated to Europe from Asia and took the hearts of creative garden designers by storm. Slotted maple trumps with a compact silhouette and a wide variety of leaves, coupled with undemanding care. On the basis of the pure species, you now have a large selection of brilliant varieties at your disposal. The following overview with important key data should make it easier for you to choose:

Slotted maple varieties atropurpurea Dissectum Garnet aureum Shishigashira Skeeter's Broom Mikawa yatsubusa
growth height 300 to 400 cm 100 to 150 cm 200 to 300 cm 150 to 200 cm 100 to 200 cm 60 to 150 cm
broad 300 to 400 cm 100 to 150 cm 200 to 300 cm 50 to 100 cm 100 to 200 cm 60 to 80 cm
foliage color dark red purple golden yellow rich green coral red to dark purple grass green
autumn coloring bright red flaming red yellow-orange to reddish yellow to orange-red bright red yellow-orange to red
special feature multi-stemmed shrub or small tree overhanging growth in old age taut upright habit curled leaves in tufts profusely branching twisted branches, imbricated arrangement of the leaves

Field maple (Acer campestre)

Only with the robust field maple is this selection of beautiful maple species complete. A colorful array of decorative and useful attributes catapults the Maßholder to a top position in the ranking of popular ornamental trees. With a growth height of 300 to 1500 cm, rapid annual growth and good-natured pruning tolerance, field maple functions as a house tree and hedge plant alike. The tree of the year 2015 resulted in the following beautiful varieties:

  • Carnival: variegated white leaves, yellow autumn colour, fast growth; 300 to 600 cm growth height
  • Red Shine: shoots red in spring, bronze-green in summer, yellow in autumn; 500 to 900 cm growth height
  • Nanum: pretty field maple, slow-growing, valuable bee pasture; 400 to 800 cm growth height

In the natural garden, the family and cottage garden, field maple serves as an easy-care enclosure that keeps prying eyes away almost all year round. The bushes are already busy in spring, because the inconspicuous flowers offer bees, bumblebees and butterflies a richly covered buffet of nectar. Birds find a sheltered retreat here and enthusiastically peck at the autumn berries.

tips

Among the maple species, the range of giants is not limited to the sycamore maple. An equally huge maple tree found its way to Europe from North America. Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is called the showpiece because its leaves shimmer silvery-white underneath. With a growth height of up to 30 meters, this species is in no way inferior to the sycamore maple.

Category:

Trees