Gable’s Glory Chameleon Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Gable’s Glory’

Common Names: Japanese Maple, Chameleon Japanese Maple

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 8-10′ at 10 years of age; 12’+ at maturity

Width at Maturity: 4-6′ at 10 years of age; 8’+ at maturity

Growth Habit / Form: Upright

Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Pink, Red and Purple shades!

Foliage Color in Summer: Yellow with Red new growth – Spectacular!

Foliage Color in Fall: Vibrant Orange and Red shades

Light Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun (cool-summer climates), 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), Loam, Sandy, Silt

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

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

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

Description

Acer palmatum ‘Gable’s Glory, also known as the Chameleon Japanese Maple, is a truly spectacular selection that certainly lives up to its name with broad palmate leaves that change through an incredible color palette of pink, red and purple shades, and that’s just in spring! The foliage coloration eventually changes to a glowing golden-yellow with brilliant cherry red new growth in summer. Cooler temperatures in fall bring vibrant orange and red shades. Providing a remarkable contrast of colors through the seasons, Gable glory is a strikingly beautiful small tree that might reach 12 to 14 feet tall by 8 feet wide or so when all grown up, making for a perfect fit in small garden space and containers. Give this beauty some filtered sun or shade during the mid-afternoon hours for best foliage color.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Gable’s Glory Chameleon 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 3 in a grouping or two to frame an entrance. 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 11 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. For Gable’s Glory, we suggest some shade or filtered sun during the hotter afternoon hours, especially in hot-summer climates of the South.

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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