‘Beni Shi En’ Purple Smoke Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Beni Shi En’ PP9,697

Other Names: Red Smoke Japanese Maple

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-8b (9a in mostly shade?) Find Your Zone

Height at Maturity: 9-10′ at 10 years of age; 12’+ over time

Width at Maturity: 4-5′ at 10 years of age; 6’+ over time

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Vase Shape

Growth Rate: Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Raspberry-Red turning to Purple with Lime Green to Cream edge

Foliage Color in Summer: Purple changing to Green with Bronze and Cream borders

Foliage Color in Fall: Red to Orange shades

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

Water Needs: Average, moderately drought tolerant when established

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

Drainage: Moist But Well-drained; well drained soil is a must!

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Cold Temperatures (-20F / Zones 5-8), Deer, Insect, Disease

Description

Discovered by Harold Johnson as a sport from a red leaved lace leaf maple growing in his gardens in Tallahassee, Alabama, Acer palmatum ‘Beni Shi Een’, commonly called Purple Smoke or Red Smoke, has to be considered one of the most uniquely colored of all Japanese maples, certainly in our gardens. Deeply divided, feathery leaves emerge raspberry red in spring turning to smoky purple shades as they become more elongated. The leaf lobes are outlined in light green to cream and often twist and turn in different directions. The leaves change to olive green with bronze lined in cream during summer. In late summer red new growth pops out all over. With the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall the leaves turn pumpkin orange and finally to a scarlet red. Beni Shi En forms a beautiful upright vase-shaped small tree to around 8 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide at 10 years of age with unique changing colors through the growing season.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Beni Shi En 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 in groupings of three or use two to frame an entryway. 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.

Suggested Spacing: At least 10 feet apart for space between trees

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 at all with your tree.

Growing Preferences

Though delicate looking, Japanese Maples are actually very tough and long-lived trees. They are very easy to grow in the ground or in pots, planters and other containers.

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 Beni Shi En is one. That said, we suggest some shade or filtered sun during the hotter afternoon hours in hot-summer climates.

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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