Acer palmatum Beni-tsukasa - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Beni-tsukasa' has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit for the remarkable colour of its foliage, as well as its performance in the garden. This Japanese maple is not very tall, and it has a beautiful flexible and rounded habit. Its branches are adorned with red young shoots that unfold into delicately palmate leaves gradually turning peach to salmon pink, orange, and slightly reddish, with green hues in summer. A superb autumn display of orange-red follows. To admire the spectacle of its metamorphosis, place it near the house or in a large container on a terrace. It looks stunning as a specimen in a small garden, or in the centre of a bed of acid-loving plants.

Originally from eastern China, Korea, and Japan, Acer palmatum is the origin of a multitude of horticultural varieties that compete in beauty. Japanese palmate maple belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae family (formerly Aceraceae). It is deciduous in winter, relatively hardy, but only tolerates limestone-free soils.

The 'Beni Tsukasa' cultivar, which grows rather slowly, develops over time into a bushy and upright habit, rounded, almost as wide as it is tall. From spring onwards, this small tree with reddish-brown branches develops leaves in the shape of small, finely cut palm leaves. Its foliage constantly changes colour. It displays a rare and magnificent pink colour in late spring, ending in shades of red. The leaves are opposite, 3 to 6cm (1 to 2in) long, divided into 5 to 7 narrow and pointed lobes, with dentate edges. The discreet flowering takes place in May-June. The purple flowers, grouped in small clusters, sometimes produce a few fruits with curved wings, called samaras, 3cm (1in) long. It should be noted that this variety is not very susceptible to powdery mildew, a disease that stains the foliage in hot weather.

Acer palmatum 'Beni-tsukasa' grows best in acidic, moist, fertile, loose, and well-drained soil, in a semi-shaded position sheltered from cold and dry winds. Compact but sculptural, it is suitable for small gardens, for ornamenting terraces and patios, as well as for large shaded rockeries. Azaleas, pieris, rhododendrons, wild camellias, and heathers will be its most beautiful companions. It can be shaped into a magnificent bonsai to be grown as a flat-topped specimen. Combine several varieties of Japanese maple to vary the colours and structures of the foliage; the effect is always dazzling at the end of the season. Shades of purple and red go wonderfully well with variegated foliage (such as dogwoods, elaeagnus), or the golden yellow tones of Gleditsia 'Sunburst' for example.