Fireglow Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’

Other Names: Fire Glow Japanese Maple

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 12-15′

Width at Maturity: 10-15′

Growth Habit / Form: Upright

Growth Rate: Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Burgundy-red

Foliage Color in Summer: Burgundy-red, Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Bright Red

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: 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 – more info, Heat Tolerant, Insect, Disease, Sun Tolerant

Description

We’ve had one of these growing on the nursery property now since the mid 1990’s and there couldn’t have been a better name for this upright Japanese Maple than ‘Fireglow’. The leaves emerge more dark red than purple in spring and are thinner than other cultivars making them somewhat translucent. If sited where it can be viewed with the rising or setting sun behind the tree its leaves will glow a bright red, hence the name. If you are watching when the sun gets to the proper angle it looks like someone turned on an electrical switch and the tree was lit. Grows to about 15 feet height with an equal spread. Fall color is bright red.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, Fireglow Red 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.

Suggested 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 cultivar 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 Fireglow 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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