‘Fairy Lights’ Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Fairy Lights’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 4-5′ in 10 years

Width at Maturity: 4′ or so

Growth Habit / Form: Upright

Growth Rate: Slow, 6-8″ per year

Foliage Color in Spring: Light to Lime Green

Foliage Color in Summer: Dark Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Vibrant variegations of Yellow, Gold, Red and sometimes Purple

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

Water Needs: Average, moderately drought tolerant when established

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

Drainage: Moist But Well Drained – Well drained soil is a must! – Please read the planting instructions under the Planting & Advice tab

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Deer, Heat Tolerant, Shade, Sun

Description

An Acer japonicum with unusually lacey leaves, ‘Fairy Lights’ is a upright growing dwarf Full Moon Japanese Maple named after her mesmerizing fall color that lights up the garden. Delicate looking, extremely fine cut spring leaves emerge a light to lime green turning to a deeper green in summer and then to a kaleidoscope of vibrant variegations in shades of yellow, gold, red and sometimes purple with the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall. A slower grower that adds 6 to 8 inches in size per year, reaching maybe 4 to 5 feet tall and wide in 10 years, this cultivar is excellent for growing in pots or small garden spaces. In our gardens, ours is growing very well near a garden pond where it receives morning sun with filtered afternoon sun, however, we see reports that this one tolerates the hot full sun. That said, to be on the safe side, we suggest some afternoon filtered sun or shade in the hot south.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, Fairy Lights Japanese Maple is best used in the landscape as a specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. 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: Be careful not to overcrowd this beauty with other trees and plants. When selecting companions to plant under or around your Japanese Maple, make sure to select low-growing or mat forming groundcovers or perennials that won’t interfere at all with your tree, such as Dwarf Mondo Grass.

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 easy to grow in garden beds or 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, Fairy Lights is said to tolerate full hot sun well. You can find a complete listing of our sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties here.

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. Planting is a raised bed or mound is suggested to ensure good drainage.

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!

I was very happy with the quality and size of the tree I received.————————————-Thanks for the awesome review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I absolutely love my purchase of 2 Fairy Lights Full Moon Japanese Maples – 3 Gallon Pots! Beautiful healthy Japanese maples! I’m going to be planting them around my new Koi pond this autumn. I’m so excited! Wilson Brother’s Gardens is the best! I’ve purchased plants from them over the years and they’ve all been really healthy specimens! Highly recommend! ??—————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Received well packed and on time. Beautiful tree that went quickly into a larger pot for a shade garden.—————————————————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