Acer palmatum var. linearilobum Villa Taranto - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Villa Taranto' is a light Japanese maple with an elegant habit and finely cut foliage that truly blazes in autumn. Tinged with pink and orange in spring, it turns green-brown in summer before turning golden yellow and orange at the end of the season. This medium-sized variety will easily find its place in a small garden, in humus-rich and moist soil. Placed in a carefully chosen large pot, this original and colourful bush will become the focal point of a terrace, in partial shade. 

Originally from eastern China, Korea, and Japan, Acer palmatum is the origin of a multitude of horticultural varieties that compete for beauty. Japanese maple belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae family (formerly Aceraceae). It is relatively hardy but cannot tolerate dry and cold winds and excess limestone in the soil. The 'Villa Taranto' cultivar is part of a group of varieties derived from the linearilobum subspecies, characterised by leaves cut into particularly narrow linear lobes. It has a medium growth rate and over time develops a bushy and erect habit with a rounded crown. At maturity, it will reach an average height of 3m (10ft) and a width of 1.75m (6ft) in the ground, slightly less if grown in a pot. This small tree has deciduous leaves, finely cut in the shape of palm leaves. Its spring foliage, a tender green tinged with pink and orange, becomes green tinged with brown in summer, and then takes on beautiful autumn colours. In May-June, it produces small purple flowers, often hidden by the foliage. The flowers, grouped in small clusters, sometimes produce fruits with curved wings, called samaras, 3cm (1in) long.

Acer palmatum 'Villa Taranto' grows best in preferably non-limestone, moist, fertile, loose, and well-drained soil, in partial shade or in morning sun, but always sheltered from cold and dry winds. Compact yet sculptural and colourful, it is perfect for small Japanese, exotic, or contemporary gardens, for ornamenting terraces and patios, as well as for large shaded rockeries. Azaleas, pieris, rhododendrons, camellias, and heathers will be its most beautiful companions. It can be trained into a magnificent bonsai in the 'Chokkan' style (upright trunk bonsai), 'Yose-Ue' style (forest bonsai), or 'Bonkei' style (landscape on a tray). Mix several varieties of Japanese maples to vary the colours and foliage structures, and plant small evergreen ground cover plants at their base; the effect is always stunning at the end of the season.