Today is Arbor Day 2025! Celebrated annually on the last Friday of April since 1872, Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton, a Nebraska City resident and newspaper publisher. He believed in the power of trees, and devoted much of his time, effort and fortune to establishing the tree planting effort and holiday. You can read about the Morton family’s multi-generational devotion to trees, and their connection to the world-renowned Morton Arboretum, in our Arbor Day 2024 blog.
While every day is Arbor Day at our nursery, we pause today to recognize and thank our family of employees for their year-round dedication to growing great trees. Among those trees is a special red maple that was recently named a Gold Medal Plant for 2025 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. As announced in the May issue of Nursery Management, Redpointe® Maple is recognized for its outstanding performance in mid-Atlantic landscapes. Although the program is tailored for this region, savvy gardeners know that a PHS Gold Medal designation means a plant is also likely to perform well across the continent in USDA climate zones 4-8.
As described in the PHS announcement, “Redpointe® possesses an improved branching habit and is great at enduring heat and drought. It thrives best in well-drained, moist, rich, slightly acidic soil, but is also tolerant of wet conditions. Exceptional red fall color will occur when grown in full sun,” the article states. “It attracts a myriad of bee species. Redpointe® can grow up to 45 feet tall.”
You can learn more about the Gold Medal Plant program in our January 3, 2025 blog, where we announced that Redpointe® Maple earns gold in 2025. We appreciate the recognition of Redpointe® Maple by the Gold Medal Program! While it’s in the spotlight, we want to draw your attention to two of its remarkable relatives that have evolved from the same 40+-year breeding and selection program.
Armstrong Gold® Maple and Red Sentinel® Maple are columnar selections that share the fine genetics of Redpointe® Maple, which was introduced in 2006 after more than 17 years of selection, trial and evaluation. Introduced in 2013 and 2024 respectively, both trees are remarkable in their own right. Given time, we anticipate that they will become mainstream cultivars like Redpointe® Maple and may someday earn their own PHS Gold Medals. Time will tell!
Armstrong Gold® Maple
Acer rubrum ‘JFS-KW78’ PP 25301
Introduced in 2013, this compact, columnar red maple is a good choice for smaller scale landscapes where a fast-growing, shade-making privacy screen is desired. More upright and densely branched than Armstrong, it offers improved columnar form, greater foliage density, improved branch structure, brighter fall color and Zone 4 hardiness. Narrow, tightly columnar form brings beauty, utility, and a strongly vertical design element to streetscapes and landscapes where space is at a premium.
Red Sentinel® Maple
Acer rubrum ‘WW Warren’ PP 36538
Red Sentinel® Maple is the new kid on the block. Introduced in 2024, it towers straight, tall and narrow as it delivers a bright canopy of medium green, anthracnose resistant foliage in summer that casts cool shade. Fiery red fall foliage is much brighter than the fall color of other columnar red maples.
Well-spaced branches have open angles aligned symmetrically along a straight trunk. Together with a dominant central leader, they present a commanding, storm-resistant winter silhouette. Perfectly suited for street tree plantings, parks and tight urban spaces, it’s a great choice for today’s compact residential properties as well as country landscapes and allées.
Gardeners! Please note that our nursery is strictly wholesale. To purchase these and other trees grown by our nursery, please use our Retailer Locator to find sources of JFS trees near you.
