Sugar maple

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; autumn colour is usually strongest in sun.

Water

Moderate; keep young trees evenly moist and water established trees during prolonged drought.

Soil

Deep, fertile, well-drained soil that retains moisture, preferably slightly acidic to neutral. Avoid waterlogged, compacted or salty ground.

Height

60-75 ft (18-23 m), sometimes taller

Spread

40-50 ft (12-15 m)

Flowers

Spring; small yellow-green flowers in hanging clusters, before or as the leaves unfold.

Foliage

Opposite, green leaves with usually five pointed lobes and rounded valleys between them; yellow, orange or red in autumn, varying with the tree and weather.

Growth

Slow to moderate, commonly 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) a year when young and well established.

Care needed

Medium

• Plant with the root flare visible at soil level, well away from buildings, paving and overhead wires.
• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two or three growing seasons; check soil moisture rather than watering on a fixed schedule.
• Spread mulch 2-3 in (5-8 cm) deep over a broad area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Avoid digging, adding soil or driving over the root zone; the shallow roots are easily damaged.
• Feed only if a soil test or poor growth indicates a deficiency.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in wind, and remove ties once the tree is firmly rooted.

Pruning. Prune lightly in midsummer to late summer to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches and establish a sound framework while young. Avoid topping or removing large limbs; late-winter and spring cuts often bleed sap.

Early spring

Check young trees for winter damage and loosen or remove tight tree ties.

Spring

Plant while dormant where winters are severe, and water thoroughly after planting.

Late spring

Refresh the mulch and keep grass away from the trunk.

Summer

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

Late summer

Carry out light formative pruning if needed.

Autumn

Collect fallen leaves for leaf mould and water young trees if the soil is dry before winter.

Late autumn

Plant dormant trees where soil remains workable and winters are not severe.

• Use as a specimen shade tree in a large lawn, leaving room for its mature crown.
• Plant in a spacious woodland garden with shade-tolerant groundcover beneath the outer canopy.
• Use as an autumn-colour focal point against evergreen trees.
• Plant in informal groups on estate-sized grounds to create a high canopy and sheltered woodland character.

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

Plant it with: Christmas fern, Wild ginger, Foamflower, Solomon's seal, White trillium and Pennsylvania sedge.

Wildlife: Leaves support moth and butterfly caterpillars; seeds feed squirrels, chipmunks and birds. Mature trees provide nesting sites and, as cavities develop, shelter for wildlife.

• Leaf scorch: brown leaf edges often follow drought, heat or root damage. Water deeply, mulch broadly and protect the root zone from compaction.
• Verticillium wilt: sudden wilting or branch dieback needs professional diagnosis. Remove dead branches, reduce drought stress and avoid planting another susceptible tree in contaminated soil.
• Tar spot: black patches on leaves are usually cosmetic. Collect fallen leaves if practical; fungicide is rarely worthwhile.
• Girdling roots: roots circling the trunk can cause decline. Keep the root flare exposed and ask an arborist to assess suspect roots before cutting them.

Sugar maple is not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. Its sap is used for syrup. Do not confuse it with red maple, whose wilted or dried leaves can cause severe, potentially fatal poisoning in horses.

• Norway maple (Acer platanoides)

  A freshly broken leaf stalk usually releases milky sap; sugar maple has clear sap. Norway maple also has broader, more widely spreading paired seed wings.

• Red maple (Acer rubrum)

  Leaves have toothed margins and more sharply V-shaped valleys between the main lobes; sugar maple has fewer coarse teeth and rounded valleys.

• Black maple (Acer nigrum)

  Leaves usually have three main lobes, drooping sides and hairy undersides. It is very closely related to sugar maple, and intermediate trees can be difficult to identify.

The species name saccharum means sugar, referring to the sweet sap used to make maple sugar and syrup.

Propagation. Grow from fresh seed given a moist winter chilling period; germination can be uneven. Named cultivars are normally grafted by specialist nurseries.

Accepted botanical name

Acer saccharum

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Mexico Northeast.

Measured

Soil pH 3.7 to 7.9. Average height 1140 cm.

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