Autumn Moon Japanese Maple

Acer shirasawanum ‘Autumn Moon’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-8b Find Your Zone

Height at Maturity: 10-15′

Width at Maturity: 8-10′

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Rounded Vase Shape

Growth Rate: Moderate, Fast

Foliage Color in Spring: Chartreuse, Lime Green, Orange

Foliage Color in Summer: Chartreuse to Yellow, Lime Green, Orange (More intense with more sun)

Foliage Color in Fall: Gold, Orange, Brilliant Fiery Crimson

Light Needs: Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Full to Mostly Sun in cooler climates

Water Needs: Average, moderately drought tolerant when established

Soil Type: Sandy, Loam & Clay (Condition heavy clay soils when planting)

Drainage: Well drained soil is a must!

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Deer, Heat, Humdity, Insect, Disease, Sun Tolerant

Description

An absolutely lovely small to medium sized cultivar of Full Mull Maple, ‘Autumn Moon’ displays elegance and wonderful color throughout the growing season. In spring, the reticulated leaves often emerge variegated light green to gold with bronze and orange tones. Summer intensifies these colors in more sun while a shadier environment brings soft golden to yellow and light green shades with flushes of orange. Fall brings brilliant shades of darker gold and orange ending in fiery red. This beauty can be grown in full to mostly sun in cooler climates but will appreciate some afternoon shade or filtered sun during the mid afternoon hours in warmer climates. Excellent in pots or the ground, Autumn Moon is a moderate grower that might reach 10 feet in as many years.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, a Japanese Maple is best used in the landscape 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.

Suggested Spacing: At least 15 feet apart for space between trees

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. Click on the link below under Helpful Articles for Japanese Maple container planting instructions.

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

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5a, where this Japanese Maple variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Though delicate looking, Japanese Maples are actually very tough and long-lived trees. They are very easy to grow. Container culture can extend their useful range. They are extremely easy to grow in containers, a practice taken to its most extreme form in the art of bonsai.

In their natural habitat, Japanese Maples are understory trees, growing in dappled forest sunlight at the edges of woodlands. Ideally Autumn Moon Japanese Maple prefers to be grown in similar conditions. That said, in cooler climates it will handle full to mostly sun quite well. Sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties.

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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