5-25-10: Acer circinatum

Bright, bright spring green is the attraction of the palm shaped leaves of vine maple this time of year. In urban garden they stand out with tiny red flowers tucked under the delicate leaves. In the forest they are the horizontal understory that lights up the woods.

This is by far my favorite maple and one of my favorite plants. It is lovely, delicate and colorful and of a size that fits into most gardens and grows in almost all the coniferous forests of the Coastal Pacific Northwest. In the forest, vine maple is an understory tree yet in the garden they can grow and thrive in full sun. What they create in a garden is a layered look with gentle movement as the breeze ruffles the leaves. With green leaves most of the year and the fall brings the kind of color that you want to cut and bring indoors, beautiful reds and oranges and yellows. The winter branches are striking with the slightly reddish bark on the young wood. Vine maple is a pleasant tree to look at all year round. Grow in a native landscape with firs, rhododendrons, ferns and big leaf maples or in the urban garden as a perfect small tree for many situations. In a friends urban garden the vine maple is planted next to a small lawn surrounded by lavender.

Vine maples grow as a single or a multi-stemmed trunk, it is easy to grow and drought tolerant once established. The mature height of the northwest native is fifteen to twenty feet high and a similar width and can be easily pruned for shape.

Pleasant Hill Nursery is pleased to offer:

Acer circinatum in #1's, #3's, & #15's: Call for Prices & to Check Availability