Acer palmatum Orange Dream - Japanese Maple

The Acer palmatum Orange Dream is a flamboyant Japanese maple, with bright orange spring foliage, then light green in summer and finally golden yellow to bright orange in autumn.

Originating from eastern China, Korea, and Japan, this hardy Japanese maple forms a bushy, rounded habit with age, with drooping branches adorned with young orange wood that turns brown. It develops beautiful deciduous foliage, bright orange in spring, light green in summer, and golden yellow to bright orange in autumn, opposite, palmate, 5 to 10 cm (2 - 3.9 in) long, divided into 5 or 7 finely lobed segments. The pretty reddish flowers grouped in small clusters in April are insignificant, but the red fruits with curved wings, 3 cm (1.2 in) long, creating interest from September.

The Acer palmatum Orange Dream thrives in preferably acidic, moist, fertile, well-drained, and loose soil, in a partly shaded and sheltered position from cold and dry winds. It is particularly sensitive to heavy soils and excess water. High temperatures can cause leaf burn, which can make the leaves fall rapidly. Mulch, water, and mist the foliage on hot evenings. Winter pruning is limited to balancing the branches. Treat against scale insects and verticillium wilt.

The Acer palmatum Orange Dream is ideal as a standalone tree on a shaded lawn or in the shade of heather beds accompanied by azaleas, pieris, rhododendrons, and heathers. It can also make a beautiful bonsai to be cultivated in a flat pot.