Acer palmatum ‘Deshojo’

This is a spectacular deciduous acer and one of our favourites from Japan. We always display ours in prominent positions on our nursery allowing the light to best illuminate the leaf colours. Vibrant sorbet pink leaves in the spring turn to green with fuchsia-kissed margins during the summer months. Finally, the leaves turn bronze and scarlet in an autumnal flourish that really brings the house down. A centre stage specimen in our Acer House, certainly.

This acer has a wide, upright and spreading form with typically layered branches. Full and voluminous, but delicately-open, and therefore casting no deep or challenging shade for your accompanying plants. The winter stems have an architectural presence all of their own, and it could be said that they may benefit from the support of more structural, evergreen underplanting and shapely neighbours during its restful phase - but we would say that, wouldn’t we. Imagine an underplanting of pillowy Muehlenbeckias, Hebe sutherlandii or Cryptomeria japonica ‘Globosa Nana’: contrasting textural evergreens that have been clipped into a blobbery for the raspberry coloured leaves of this acer to tumble down and settle on. Then, before you know it, and just when you need it, this glorious attention seeker will burst forth and captivate you in spring. Slowly reaching approximately 6m, ‘Deshojo’ is a smashing addition for all gardens big and small, as well as being very well-suited for putting in a pot and having in a courtyard, or on a balcony.

Position in sun or light shade on lime free soil (reasonably well drained). Avoid strong winds. Produced by cuttings.

N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.

As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.