May Day! Marking the halfway point between spring equinox and summer solstice, the first day of May is also a great day to appreciate the beauty of maple trees. While others may circle around the maypole, we prefer to gather ‘round the maples to enjoy the colorful springtime show as their leaves unfurl and stitch together a canopy of cool shade.
In early spring, the winter-bare branches of maples burst forth with clusters of tiny flowers that go unnoticed by many. Blooms ranging in color from the deep, brick red tones of Acer rubrum to the bright chartreuse flowers of Acer truncatum hybrids are bright harbingers of spring for those who notice their subtle presence in the dull winter landscape.
By the time the calendar turns to May Day in western Oregon, the fresh, tender leaves of most species have fully emerged, sporting tones ranging from light green to deep purple. As growers of 22 species of the genus Acer, we have plenty of great trees to admire.
Here at the nursery, our columnar Armstrong Gold® Maple could serve as a maypole if we were inspired to dance around it and wind its branches with colorful streamers, a custom that dates back to medieval times. Instead, we’ll stand back and admire its tender leaves which are just now emerging coppery orange from swollen brown buds.
Several of our favorite maple cultivars that put on a great springtime show are described below. Look for them at your favorite independent garden center that carries JFS trees. Use our Retailer Locator to find a nearby source.
Armstrong Gold® Maple
Acer rubrum ‘JFS-KW78’ PP 25301
Not quite narrow enough to serve as a maypole, this columnar beauty reaches for the sky and is a great fit for restricted planting spaces. Narrow, tightly columnar form brings beauty, utility, and a strongly vertical design element to streetscapes and landscapes where space is at a premium. Pictured on May Day, its coppery orange emerging leaves will soon mature to medium green, presenting a slender spire of rich foliage that will turn to bright golden orange in autumn.
Selected from an evaluation of hundreds of seedlings of Armstrong Maple, its brighter foliage color, greater foliage density and compact, less leggy growth habit recommend Armstrong Gold® Maple over its successful and widely planted parent. Maturing at 40’ tall x 12’ wide, it’s a good fit for today’s narrower streets and compact landscapes.
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum
Tender spring foliage of this Pacific Northwest native emerges with a reddish tinge. Red winged samaras float among the green leaves in summer. Vine Maples are so common in local landscapes that we tend not to appreciate their beauty, utility, and durability. They blanket Northwest hillsides with bright fall colors that range from yellow orange to bright red.
This tough and adaptable tree performs well in full sun as well as in partial or full shade, making it a good choice for urban canyons and shady courtyards as well as a compact tree for greenroofs and other exposed spaces. In shade, its form becomes vine-like and open in character as its leaves seek the sunlight. Grown in our nursery as a multi stemmed tree, it reaches a height of about 15 feet with a spread of about 10 feet. Hardiness is USDA Zone 6.
Northern Glow® Maple
Acer pseudosieboldianum x A. palmatum ‘Hasselkus’
Enjoy the refined character of Japanese maple beyond its traditional hardiness range by choosing this hybrid that offers the USDA Zone 4 hardiness of its tough and cold-hardy parent, Korean Maple. Developed at University of Wisconsin, Madison, by plantsman and professor Dr. Ed Hasselkus, it offers multiple seasons of color. New growth emerges rusty red and matures to green through the summer months. In autumn, its graceful, spreading branches glow bright with orange red to deep red fall colors.
Redpointe® Maple
Acer rubrum ‘Frank Jr.’
A superior selection of the widely planted native species, Redpointe® Maple is distinctive for its rich, dark green, heat-tolerant summer foliage that turns to brilliant red in autumn. Its upright, broadly pyramidal form and adaptability to urban growing conditions make it a natural choice for street tree plantings and cityscapes.
Ease of care in the nursery and in the landscape, plus tolerance of heat, cold, drought and varied soils (including those of higher pH levels) have helped it become our best-selling tree since its introduction in 2006. Height and spread are approximately 45’ x 30’ after 30 years in an average urban landscape setting.
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.
