Japanese Maple Trees

Ornamental plants are specifically grown for its ornamental qualities. You can place it in the garden or inside the house. Some of the common features of an ornamental plant include bark, fruit, stem, leaves and the scent. The other uses ornamental plants have are as cut flowers and landscaping. There are ornamental trees that are available. An ornamental tree planted to provide screening are known as amenity trees. One of the popular and well known ornamental trees is the Japanese maple tree.

Japanese Maple Trees - In Brief

One of the most famous and widely used ornamental trees is the Japanese maple tree. The main attraction of a Japanese maple tree is the leaves. Some are red while some are green and bright reddish purple. The color of Japanese maple tree foliage varies during the seasons such as spring and autumn. A Japanese maple tree could grow up to ten feet tall.
Seeds are used to grow Japanese maple trees. However, they need to be pre-treated. In the process of pre-treating, the seeds are soaked in warm water for a day. Then it should be added to a mixture of sand and peat moss. The seeds should be shelved at room temperature for a period of three months and later the same have to be refrigerated for seventy days.

Japanese Maple Tree - Pruning

There are several views on how to go about pruning a Japanese maple tree. According to one view, this tree should not be pruned at all. Some say the ideal period for pruning a Japanese maple tree is early winter or late fall. For creating very healthy branches it is advised to do light spring pruning.

When you cut off branches it may shock the tree. It is suggested to use a sealant while removing branches from the tree. Remove all old and dead branches from the Japanese maple tree. The pruning of a maple tree is sometimes done in stages. This will stagger out the shock experienced by the tree.

Japanese Maple Tree – Types

There is an amazing range of Japanese maple trees which could used for landscaping your garden.

"Emperor one" is a read leaf variety of maple tree. It grows extremely fast and has leaves that look black when viewed from far. It grows well in hot environment. The bark of young Japanese emperor one trees has a shade of purple.

Another variety of Japanese maple tree is "Sumanagashi". Like the "Emperor one" this maple tree is also red leafed. One of the prominent features is the dazzling red-colored seeds termed samaras.

A variety of Japanese maple is the "butterfly". It is small in size with beautiful pink leaves. Temperature affects the color of the leaves.

"Corollonim" is another beautiful variety of Japanese maple tree. The color of the leaf is pink. It may grow up to five feet in height.

The saplings of a Japanese maple tree may not resemble the parent tree. Certain number of seedlings would be entirely different in features of the parent tree. Japanese planters have employed methods like grafting to develop new varieties.