Well,
everyone knows what a maple leaf looks like, right? It is the leaf on
the Canadian flags as well, the one that lends its shape to maple sugar
candies. Well, yes and no? While most maple leaves do have a three-lobed
outline, they are vary enormously in size and shape. Therefore, with
some the lobes are barely indented with some they are so deeply cut they
look like lace. Some even have three separate leaflets the way poison
ivy does. Size of the tree also varies a great deal, and you can find a
suitable maple whether you want a large shade tree or a small ornamental
for a city yard. However, most maples have especially fine fall color
and seeds with wings on either side that you can spread apart and stick
on the bridge of your nose if you are so inclined. Source: Charismatic Planet
Hence,
of the large especially favorite in public is sugar maple, also called
rock maple “Acer Saccharum” a fine shade tree that can grow well over
100 feet tall, with a big, round, dense head and leaves that turn shades
of red, yellow and orange in fall. Collecting and boiling down the
sweet sap to make maple syrup is a lot of work it must be reduced to
less than thirties of its original volume but it is a good way to get
outdoors at the end of winter. October Glory is a variety of sugar maple
with especially good fall color; Newton Sentry is a columnar form.
Red
maple are also called “Swamp Maple” is nearly as popular as sugar
maple, because its showy red flowers are such a welcome sight amid bare
branches in early spring. Like sugar maple, it turns color early in
fall, but in this case the leaves are blazing red. It is a bit less
sturdy then sugar maple but will tolerate wet sites. Norway maple “A.
platanoides” a big round tree, casts a very dense shade and is rather
shallow rooted but it grows quickly as maple go, “Erectum” is a columnar
variety and “Crimson King” has red leaves all summer. All these are
hardy, though Silver maple “A. saccharinum” is often planted because of
its grow very fast, its graceful, pendulous branches and its finely cut
leaves with silvery undersides, which cast a dappled shade. It is also
hardy while Silver maples bas weak, breakable wood, however, and its
roots can clog drains and septic systems if the tree is planted near
them.
Of
the smaller ornamental maples the choicest is Japanese maple “A.
planmatum” and its hybrids. The original species, which can grow to 20
feet, has fine, deeply indented green leaves in summer the reddish when
they first emerge and turn red in fall. It is hardy to and self-sows
freely. Varieties such as “Atropurpureum” and “Sanguineum” are dark red
all season. The very slow growing cutleaf, or laceleaf Japanese maple
“A. p. dissectum” can grow to 12 feet but is usually much smaller; an
exquisite mound of cascading branches is supported by a twisted
picturesque trunk, with its lacy leaves often sweeping the ground.
Varieties such as “Atropurpureum” and “Burgundy Lace” are red all
season. In addition there are variegated varieties and some with leaves
so note are fine they look like threads such as “Red Filigree”.
Moreover
among smaller maples those also worthy of note are Amur maple “A.
ginnala” a tough little tree that grows up to 20 feet and has small,
three pointed leaves, fragrant white flowers in early spring, bright red
fall foliage and showy red winged fruits. It is even hardy and often it
has several trunks but can b etrained to one if desired. Paperback
maple “A. griseum” grows about 25 feet tall, has leaves with three
distinct leaflets and is valued most for its bark, which peels off in
papery strips to expose a rust colored layer beneath. It is hardy as
well.
Well,
if you want to grow maples, then in general are easy to grow and have
few pests or disease. Most of them especially red maples need soil with
adequate moisture. Most need plenty of sun, and if they are to develop a
good fall color, they need a climate that is cool in winter. Cutleaf
Japanese maple should be given a rich moist, well-drained soil with
plenty of organic matter and some light shade in hot climates. It should
be staked until the trunk is well developed, and twiggy growth may be
removed from enter as needed though it is usually allowed assume its own
eccentric forms. Therefore, Maples in general are pruned in late summer
or fall when the sap is no longer running. Most need only occasional
attention to remove dead, awkward or crossing limbs, but silver maples
should be pruned to eliminate narrow, weak crotches and water sprouts.
Paper-bark maples should have lower branches removed to display the
trunk.
