‘Glowing Embers’ Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Glowing Embers’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 15′ in 10 years; 30′ in 20 years

Width at Maturity: 15-20′

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Broad

Growth Rate: Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Green

Foliage Color in Summer: Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Glowing red, orange, golden and purple shades

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, very drought tolerant when established

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty (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, Drought, Heat Tolerant, Insect Resistant, Sun Tolerant

Description

One of, if not the most heat tolerant of all Japanese Maples, meet Glowing Embers, a stunning eye-catcher and Georgia Gold Medal Winner developed by Dr. Michael Dirr at the University of Georgia. It was chosen for its tolerance to heat, humidity, drought and full sun tolerance and its ability to adapt to a wide range of soil conditions. The finely-toothed leaves of Glowing Embers emerge green in spring on red branches and holds well through summer with little to no leaf scorch. Fall foliage is a kaleidoscope of glowing red, orange, yellow and purple shades. Growing up to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide in 20 years, its dense canopy will provide shade around patios, decks and other outdoor living spaces. An excellent selection that deserves a spot in every southern landscape!

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, Glowing Embers Japanese Maple is best used in landscape design as a focal point specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That said, in larger landscape spaces they can be grouped or useful when positioned on both sides of an entryway to accentuate the entrance.

Suggested Spacing: At least 25 feet 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 choosing 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, Glowing Embers is one with exceptionally high tolerance to full sun.

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!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us!