Katsura Japanese maple

Sun

Partial shade, ideally morning sun and afternoon shade. More sun is suitable in cool climates if the soil stays moist.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Water deeply during dry spells, especially while establishing and when grown in a container.

Soil

Moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter; slightly acidic to neutral is best. Avoid compacted, waterlogged or very chalky soil.

Height

10-15 ft (3-4.5 m)

Spread

8-12 ft (2.4-3.7 m)

Foliage

Small, five-lobed leaves emerge yellow-orange with reddish margins, become light to medium green in summer, and turn yellow to orange in autumn. Colour varies with light, temperature and moisture.

Growth

Slow to moderate; allow roughly 10-20 years to develop a substantial small-tree canopy.

Care needed

Medium

• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   7 ft (2.1 m)

4. After 3 years

   7 ft (2.2 m)

5. After 5 years

   8 ft (2.3 m)

About 26 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Invasive in

the US

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant with the root flare at soil level in a sheltered position; do not bury the graft union.
• Water deeply through dry periods during the first two or three growing seasons.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Feed lightly in spring only if growth is weak or the soil is poor; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Use a container with generous drainage holes and protect container roots from severe winter freezing.
• Protect emerging leaves from forecast late frosts with horticultural fleece.

Pruning. Prune sparingly while dormant, preferably in early to midwinter before sap begins rising. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches and any shoots below the graft; avoid topping or heavy reshaping.

Spring

Plant when the soil is workable and not waterlogged; water thoroughly and mulch.

Early spring

Watch for frost as buds open; cover small trees overnight when late frosts are forecast.

Late spring

Check tender shoots for aphids and remove any growth arising below the graft.

Summer

Check soil moisture during dry weather and water before leaves wilt or develop scorched edges.

Autumn

Plant in mild regions while the soil remains warm, and replenish mulch without covering the trunk.

Early winter

Remove damaged or crossing branches if needed; insulate exposed containers in cold climates.

• Use as a small specimen beside a patio or path where its spring leaves and autumn colour can be seen closely.
• Place against dark evergreens to make the pale spring foliage stand out.
• Underplant with ferns, hostas and other shade-tolerant plants for a layered woodland edge.
• Grow in a large container in a sheltered courtyard, allowing space for its branching canopy.
• Set beside stones or a shaded pond margin in a Japanese-style garden, keeping its roots out of saturated soil.

Garden styles it suits: Japanese, Zen dry garden, Woodland, Modern courtyard, Autumn colour and Small-space.

Plant it with: Hostas, Japanese painted fern, Epimedium, Japanese forest grass, Camellias and Snowdrops.

Wildlife: Small spring flowers provide some food for insects, and the canopy offers shelter for birds. It supports fewer locally specialised insects outside its native range than native maples do.

• Leaf scorch: brown, crisp margins usually follow drought, hot afternoon sun or drying wind. Improve watering and shelter rather than adding fertiliser.
• Late frost damage: emerging leaves can blacken or collapse. Protect small trees during cold nights and wait for replacement growth before removing damaged tips.
• Aphids: colonies on young shoots may cause curling and sticky honeydew. Wash them off with water and encourage natural predators.
• Verticillium wilt: sudden wilting or branch dieback can indicate this soilborne disease. Seek a diagnosis, remove affected wood and avoid replanting susceptible trees in confirmed infected soil.

Acer palmatum is not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people, and no part is recognised as a common poisoning hazard. It is not an edible plant; do not confuse it with red maple or sycamore maple, which can poison horses.

Where it spreads. Japanese maple can self-seed and has escaped cultivation in parts of the eastern United States, including the mid-Atlantic, where it is reported as locally invasive. 'Katsura' is not usually an aggressive garden spreader, but remove seedlings near natural woodland.

• Orange Dream Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Orange Dream')

  Also has yellow-orange spring foliage, but its leaves are generally larger and more distinctly yellow with orange-red margins. Leaf colour overlaps, so a reliable nursery label is the safest distinction.

• Beni-maiko Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Beni-maiko')

  New leaves are bright pink-red rather than the predominantly yellow-orange leaves of 'Katsura'.

• Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)

  An unrelated, much larger tree with rounded, heart-shaped leaves rather than pointed, lobed maple leaves; its fallen autumn leaves often smell of burnt sugar.

Acer is the Latin name for maple, and palmatum refers to the hand-like shape of the lobed leaves.

Propagation. Usually propagated by grafting onto Japanese maple rootstock. Seedlings will not reliably retain 'Katsura' characteristics; buy a correctly labelled grafted plant for predictable foliage and habit.

Accepted botanical name

Acer palmatum

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Japan and Korea.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 700 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.