October Glory red maple

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; best autumn colour in full sun.

Water

Moderate to high; prefers evenly moist soil and needs deep watering during establishment and prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Moist, acidic, well-drained soil; tolerates clay and occasional flooding once established. Avoid alkaline soil and very dry, compacted sites.

Height

40-50 ft (12-15 m)

Spread

25-35 ft (7.6-10.7 m)

Flowers

Small red flower clusters in late winter or early spring, before the leaves.

Foliage

Green, usually three- to five-lobed leaves with pale undersides; turns orange-red to deep crimson relatively late in autumn.

Growth

Moderate to fast, often 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) a year when young and well supplied with water.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• 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

   9 ft (2.7 m)

3. After 2 years

   11 ft (3.4 m)

4. After 3 years

   14 ft (4.2 m)

5. After 5 years

   18 ft (5.6 m)

About 16 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

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant with the root flare visible at soil level, leaving room for the mature crown and shallow roots away from paving.
• Water deeply through the root zone during dry weather for the first two to three growing seasons; check soil moisture before watering again.
• Maintain a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) mulch layer over the root zone, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Do not routinely feed established trees; use a soil test before applying fertiliser or attempting to correct yellow leaves.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in the wind, and remove supports after the first growing season.

Pruning. Prune lightly in midsummer to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches, retaining one main leader while the tree is young. Avoid topping and large cuts; use a qualified arborist for substantial work.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is workable and moist; in very cold regions, postpone planting until spring.

Late winter

Check young trees for rubbing ties, trunk damage and competing leaders.

Spring

Renew mulch without covering the root flare, and check that water reaches the original root ball.

Early summer

Check new leaves for yellowing between green veins, particularly on alkaline soil.

Midsummer

Carry out light formative pruning if needed.

Summer

Water deeply during extended dry spells and keep lawn equipment away from the trunk.

• Use as a specimen in a large lawn where its rounded crown and autumn colour can be seen from the house.
• Plant on the sunny side of a house for summer shade, allowing ample clearance from buildings and services.
• Place near a pond or rain-garden margin where soil stays moist without permanently submerging the root flare.
• Combine with woodland-edge shrubs and spring flowers for layered planting beneath and around the outer crown.

Garden styles it suits: Traditional, Woodland, Autumn colour, Grand estate, New England and Wildlife garden.

Plant it with: Virginia sweetspire, Summersweet, Oakleaf hydrangea, Christmas fern, Foamflower and Pennsylvania sedge.

Wildlife: Early flowers provide pollen and nectar for insects. Seeds feed birds and small mammals, and the foliage supports moth caterpillars; the mature crown offers nesting cover.

• Iron or manganese chlorosis: yellow leaves with greener veins often indicate unsuitable alkaline soil. Test the soil; seek advice on targeted treatment, and consider replacement if the site cannot support an acid-loving tree.
• Drought scorch: brown leaf edges and early leaf fall can follow heat and dry soil. Water deeply, widen the mulched area and reduce competition from turf.
• Verticillium wilt: sudden branch wilt or dieback needs professional diagnosis. Remove dead wood, reduce water stress and avoid replanting a susceptible tree in affected soil.
• Scale insects: bumps on twigs, sticky honeydew or sooty mould can indicate an infestation. Identify the scale before treatment; use horticultural oil at the appropriate stage and avoid spraying during heat or drought stress.

Red maple leaves, especially wilted or dried fallen leaves, are highly toxic to horses and can cause fatal destruction of red blood cells. Keep the tree and fallen leaves away from paddocks, hay and drinking water. It is not known to be toxic to cats, dogs or people through ordinary garden contact, but the leaves are not food.

• Autumn Blaze Freeman maple (Acer × freemanii 'Jeffersred')

  Usually has more deeply cut, five-lobed leaves, reflecting its silver maple parentage. Autumn colour alone is not a reliable way to distinguish the cultivars.

• Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

  Leaves usually have five lobes with smoother margins and rounded U-shaped notches; red maple has more toothed margins and sharper V-shaped notches.

• Other red maple cultivars (Acer rubrum)

  Many look very similar in leaf. 'October Glory' tends to colour late and develop a rounded crown, but a nursery label or documented planting history is needed for confident identification.

Rubrum means red, referring to the tree's red flowers, buds and other reddish parts, while 'October Glory' refers to its autumn display in the Northern Hemisphere.

Propagation. Named trees are generally propagated commercially by budding, grafting or specialist softwood cuttings. Seedlings will not reliably retain the characteristics of 'October Glory'; buy a labelled, vegetatively propagated tree.

Accepted botanical name

Acer rubrum

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and New Mexico.

Measured

Soil pH 4.7 to 7.3. Average height 1500 cm.

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