Aoyagi Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Aoyagi’ a/k/a ‘Ukon’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-9a Find Your Zone

Height at Maturity: 10-12′ at 10 years of age; 15-20′ at maturity

Width at Maturity: 6-7′ at 10 years of age; 8-12′ at maturity

Growth Habit / Form: Upright

Growth Rate: Moderate – 12-15″ per year

Foliage Color in Spring: Chartreuse

Foliage Color in Summer: Bright Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Brilliant Golden Yellow

Light Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average, moderately drought tolerant when established

Soil Type: Clay (amend heavy clay to ensure good drainage), Loam, Sandy, Silt

Drainage: Moist But Well Drained – Well drained soil is a must!

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Deer, Insect, Disease, Sun Tolerant

Description

If subtle beauty is your thing look no further than the Aoyagi Japanese Maple, also known as Ukon. This counterpart to the coral bark maple features rich pea green bark that contrasts beautifully with the bright chartreuse leaves in spring that turn to bright green in summer and finally to a brilliant golden-yellow in fall. As with its coral and yellow bark cousins, the handsome pea green bark color on the trunk, branches and stems intensifies during the cool season to bring unique and attractive color to the landscape during the winter months. Ease in growing, good sun tolerance and year round color makes Aoyagi a fine selection that won’t disappoint in the landscape or in pots, planters and other containers.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Aoyagi Japanese Maple is best used as a focal point specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That said, you can plant them in groupings of three or plant one on both sides of an entryway to accentuate the entrance. Container culture can extend the useful range of Japanese Maples. They are extremely easy to grow in containers, a practice taken to its most extreme form in the art of bonsai.

Note: One Japanese Maple can make a landscape…that is if you don’t overcrowd it with other trees and plants. Therefore, when selecting companions to plant under or around your Japanese Maple, make sure to select low-growing shrubs or groundcover plants that won’t interfere with or overcrowd your tree.

Growing Preferences

Though delicate looking, Japanese Maples are actually very tough and long-lived trees. They are very easy to grow.

In their natural habitat, Japanese Maples are understory trees, growing in dappled forest sunlight at the edges of woodlands. Ideally they prefer to be grown in similar conditions. That said, you can find a complete listing of our sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties here, of which Aoyagi is one.

Most any average garden soil will grow Japanese Maples. They prefer a moist but well-drained soil rich in organic matter. As with so many other ornamental plants and trees, constantly soggy or wet soil can be problematic. So make sure to plant your Japanese Maple in a well-drained site.

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Japanese Maple trees.

How To Plant A Japanese Maple Tree In The Ground

How to Plant A Japanese Maple Tree In A Pot

How To Fertilize And Water A Japanese Maple Tree

How To Prune A Japanese Maple

Plant Long & Prosper!

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