Japanese Maples in Austin? Yep! That’s right. You can have beautiful, amazing, and colorful Japanese Maples here in Austin. All you need is the right spot, well-drained quality landscape soil, and a little irrigation.
‘Sango Kaku’ Coral Bark Maple
‘Sango Kaku’ Coral Bark Maple
The ‘Sango Kaku’ Coral Bark Maple is a wonderful addition to your landscape. The ‘Sango Kaku’ is an upright Maple and is a great statement piece in your landscape. It can take a little bit more sun and heat than some of the other Maples. If you have a spot that gets a little more sun, this is an excellent choice. They will reach heights of around 15-20′ and can be pruned (as can any of the Maples). In the cooler temps, the leaves turn a bright yellow and the bark turns red. During the warmer months, the leaves are a striking lime green. Like all Japanese Maples, they will need regular irrigation and quality balanced landscape soil.
‘Emperor One’ Japanese Maple
‘Emperor One’ Japanese Maple
The ‘Emperor One’ Japanese Maple is a more traditional Japanese Maple. ‘Emperor One’ has larger red leaves and shows off bright burgundy red foliage in spring and fiery red in the fall. They can reach heights of 15-20 feet and need well balanced and well-draining landscape soil along with regular irrigation. These Maples prefer a shady spot with no harsh afternoon sun. If you give it direct sunlight it will burn the leaves so, try to keep it shady / filtered sun or morning sun and afternoon shade. What does ‘burn the leaves’ mean? The edges of the leaves would be dried. If you have a spot that gets a little more sun (never full sun) you can acclimate them over time. They would need to go through a few years of the leaf burn until they adjust.
‘Crimson Queen’ Weeping Maple
‘Crimson Queen’ Weeping Maple
The ‘Crimson Queen’ is a beautiful weeping Japanese Maple. The weeping Maples are also referred to as Threadleaf Maples due to the structure of their leaves. These reach a spread of 6-10 feet. Oftentimes, you might find these in a container or in a raised bed though they do well in the ground as well. As with all the Japanese Maples, you will want to plant in quality balanced and well-drained soil, and remember that it will need irrigation- especially if it is in a pot). The ‘Crimson Queen’, as well as all the weeping Maples, prefer a shady spot with morning sun or indirect light.
If you are looking for additional photos and information, we have a video that might interest you. Visit our YouTube channel where we discuss different trees, flowers, succulents, etc., and have tips.
