Acer palmatum ‘Elegans’

An upright and open Acer, reaching around 2 to 3 metres tall and 2 metres wide. The pretty, deeply lobed and toothy foliage emerges in spring a nice pale green but with an apricot-pink ruddiness to them. These change to proper green in the summer and end with an ignition of orangey-red in autumn before they fall.

This Acer has a harmony of form and stature that ensure a constant popularity: broad but not too muscular, open but not too sparse. Finely-branched and generously bedecked in the deeply serrated leaves typical of the Acer group, we feel this one in particular is really special and appropriate for all manner of settings. Cottage garden? lovely. Formal city garden? Absolutely. A splurge of peppy colour, all through the year, to lighten a mixed composition of evergreen shrubs and taller trees? Bingo.

A plant for full sun to light shade as long as the roots are in cool, moist soil with good drainage. Does fine in a pot, make sure it’s a big one. Soil-wise, like most Acers it prefers acid to neutral conditions and likes to be out of strong winds. Do not prune in spring when the sap is rising.

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.