6 Japanese maples with green foliage

Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Viridis'

The Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Viridis’ is an elegant Japanese maple with a trailing habit and very finely dissected leaves. They are divided into fine, narrow segments with dentate edges on the lamina. Light green in spring, they darken in summer, then turn orange-red in autumn. It forms a bush with a spreading habit and horizontal branches, giving it a parasol shape. Wider than tall, it reaches up to 2 m in height and 3 m in spread at ripeness.

This Japanese maple will integrate beautifully into a zen garden, alongside bamboos, a Cornus kousa, azaleas, ferns, and grasses such as Hakonechloa macra. Also consider cloud-pruned pines (niwaki) and Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’, which stands out for its very graphic and elegant tiered habit.

The Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Viridis’ features superbly finely cut leaves (photos: cultivar413 / David J. Stang)

Acer palmatum 'Going Green'

The Japanese maple ‘Going Green’ forms a compact, upright bush, taller than it is wide, with palmate leaves that change through various shades of green throughout the year: first light green in spring, the leaves then turn dark green, before gradually colouring to orange-yellow in autumn, before falling. Its beautifully shaped leaves are divided into 5 to 7 dentate lobes and are borne on light green branches. At maturity, it forms a bush about 2 m tall and 1 m wide.

In the garden, Acer palmatum ‘Going Green’ will be perfectly highlighted if surrounded by perennials and shrubs with dark foliage: Heuchera ‘Obsidian’, Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’, Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’… This will enhance the brightness of its foliage, creating a very graphic and original garden!

The Japanese maple ‘Going Green’ has light green palmate leaves, borne on green branches as well

Acer 'Emerald Lace'

The Japanese maple ‘Emerald Lace’ is a beautiful variety with finely cut foliage. This gives it a very light and feathery style! The leaves are initially light green in spring, then turn emerald green in summer, before blazing red-orange in autumn. It forms a bush with a rounded and slightly weeping habit, with trailing branches, reaching up to 2 m in height and 1.70 m in spread. Its leaves measure 5 to 8 cm long and are divided into 5 to 7 fine, sculpted, and dentate lobes.

In the garden, it will integrate beautifully with other plants that have feathery and light foliage: think of ferns like Dryopteris erythrosora or Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumosum Densum’, as well as Datisca cannabina, astilbes, and Nandina domestica.

‘Emerald Lace’ is a very beautiful variety with feathery foliage, very finely cut

Acer palmatum 'Ryusen'

The Japanese maple ‘Ryusen’ is quite unique as it forms a truly weeping bush, with branches cascading down towards the ground. It bears lovely palmate leaves, initially soft green – yellow in spring, slightly edged with coppery pink along the lamina, then dark green in summer, before igniting in a palette of bronze, orange, and bright red in autumn. At ripeness, it reaches up to 3 m in height with a spread of 1.50 to 2 m.

This variety is best grown in isolation, for example in the middle of a lawn, as it constitutes a true curiosity and deserves to be highlighted. Place it alongside other plants with distinct shapes: a trimmed hedge, topiaries, a Lonicera nitida, a carpet of ‘Bellecour’ ivy, a Cupressus sempervirens ‘Totem’… You will achieve a very graphic and beautifully structured garden. You can also incorporate this maple into an Asian garden, alongside cloud-pruned pines, or shape it as a bonsai.

The Japanese maple ‘Ryusen’, a variety with a weeping habit and soft green palmate leaves, tinged with bronze yellow when young (photos: F. D. Richards)

Acer 'Seiryu'

The Acer palmatum ‘Seiryu’ is a variety with laciniate foliage, cut into fine dentate segments, in a feathery and light style. Its variety name, ‘Seiryu’, means “green dragon” in Japanese, referring to its lovely bright green leaves. Young leaves are initially light green in spring, and then darken, eventually turning yellow-orange to purplish-red in autumn before falling. The leaves are borne on reddish petioles. This Japanese maple forms a small tree with an upright habit, becoming broad and tiered over time. It reaches a height of 3 m and a spread of 4 m at maturity. It belongs to the Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ group, distinguished by their very finely cut foliage.

Create a lovely heather soil bed with acidophilous shrubs such as Kalmia, Pieris japonica, azaleas and rhododendrons, as well as Enkianthus campanulatus.

The Acer palmatum ‘Seiryu’ forms tiered, slightly trailing branches, and laciniate leaves (photos: Wendy Cutler)

Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki'

Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ is a beautiful variety featuring large light green palmate leaves, borne on reddish petioles. They measure 10 to 12 cm long and are divided into 7 wide lobes that taper at the tips. Its leaves turn olive green in summer, then literally blaze in autumn to take on a stunning bright red hue! Large in size, it has a rounded habit with tiered branches, reaching up to 4 m in height and 5 m in spread at maturity. It is ideal for planting as a specimen, for example in the middle of a lawn, to truly showcase it. It can also fit into an Asian garden and will accompany other shrubs that offer beautiful autumn coloration, such as Parrotia persica, Liquidambar, Ginkgo biloba, or the winged euonymus, Euonymus alatus.

‘Osakazuki’ is a very beautiful variety with large, broad light green to olive green leaves (photos: Olive Titus)