Bihou Yellow Bark Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Bihou’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 12-15′

Width at Maturity: 8-12′

Growth Habit / Form: Bushy, Upright, Vase Shape

Growth Rate: Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Light Green

Foliage Color in Summer: Medium Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Yellow with Shades of Orange and Pink

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: 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 Tolerant, Insect Resistant, Sun Tolerant, Disease

Description

One of our personal favorites, the Bihou Japanese Maple is a member of the Coral Bark family. But what’s unique about this one is that the branches and trunk are bright yellow year round! After the leaves fall for winter the smaller stems towards the top of the tree take on a bright red hue which contrasts marvelously with the yellow branches and trunk below. During the warm season, the lovely light green foliage contrasts wonderfully with the golden bark on an upright tree from 12 to 15 feet in height with a 8 to 12 foot spread. Fall foliage is yellow. A true masterpiece of a tree that deserves a spot in every landscape where it will grow!

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, Bihou 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 being said, you can plant them in groupings of three or plant one on both sides of an entryway to accentuate the entrance.

Spacing: At least 18 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.

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.

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 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 Bihou 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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Questions? Contact Us!

Beautiful tree arriving very quickly and well packaged. Was in great condition and still looks beautiful. Very happy. Will buy again.————————————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I reached out to the staff to be sure I was getting the right fit for my yard. They provided INVALUABLE personalized service. The tree arrived healthy and it will be a gorgeous focal point by next year. Thank you so much!—————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

This lovely tree arrived in perfect condition and much larger than I expected! Very happy with my purchase!———————————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

A very cute small tree! Arrived in excellent shape and was very securely packaged. Am very much looking forward to seeing how it does over the seasons. Again, the tree looks exactly as pictured.———————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I ordered this tree and 2 other Japanese maples. All 3 trees arrived packaged extremely well. I look forward to growing this tree.—————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the photo. Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

Quick turn around for order. Received it in fall (after enough chill time) so I could plant all three trees out. Pleased with condition.————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

This Bihou yellow bark maple showed up within the expected time frame and was excellently packaged! The tree is in very good condition and I am extremely pleased with this purchase. I will purchase again in the future.—————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG