Acer palmatum Shaina - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Shaina' is a small variety of Japanese Maple, with a rounded habit, forming a ball of foliage whose red colour varies throughout the seasons. With a bright red-orange colour in spring, its foliage turns brownish-purple in summer before taking on an extraordinary crimson red in autumn. With a dense, compact, and semi-spreading habit, this slow-growing collector's variety is a real treasure for the terrace or rockery. Absolutely stunning, it is also a delicate plant that should be reserved for experienced gardeners.

Native to eastern China, Korea, and Japan, Acer palmatum is the origin of numerous horticultural varieties that compete in beauty. The Japanese palmate maple belongs to the Sapindaceae family. It is hardy, but only tolerates light, limestone-free soils. The cultivar 'Shaina', similar to 'Skeeter's Broom', is slow-growing. Over time it develops a bushy and rounded habit, slightly taller than wide, branching from the base. It reaches about 2 m (6.6 ft) in height at maturity with a spread of 1.6 m (5.2 ft), slightly less if grown in a pot. Its short branches bear deciduous foliage, with leaves gathered in clusters. This small tree has a brown to reddish-brown bark on young branches and develops magnificent palmately lobed leaves. In this variety, the foliage continuously changes colour, in shades of red, without any trace of green: bright red-orange in spring, dark purple-bronze in summer, and finally scarlet to crimson in autumn. The leaves are opposite, 2 cm to 5 cm (0.8 in to 2 in) long, with 5 to 7 linear lobes. Inconspicuous red flowers bloom in May-June. The clustered flowers sometimes produce fruits with curved wings, called samaras, measuring 3 cm (1.2 in) in length.

Acer palmatum 'Shaina' thrives in preferably neutral to acidic, moist, fertile, well-drained soil, in a semi-shaded position sheltered from cold and dry winds. Compact yet sculptural, it is well-suited for small gardens, as an ornament for terraces and patios, as well as semi-shaded rockeries. Azaleas, ferns, pieris, rhododendrons, wild camellias, and heathers make beautiful companions. It can be trained into a magnificent bonsai. Japanese maples tend to naturally form small bonsai-like trees without human intervention: trunks and branches twist and knot, thickening as they do so, creating a somewhat tortured silhouette. Combine several varieties of Japanese maples to vary the colours and structures of the foliage; the effect is always dazzling at the end of the season.