‘Hogyoku’ Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Hogyoku’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 15-20′ in 20 years

Width at Maturity: 12-15′

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Rounded Vase

Growth Rate: Fast for a Japanese Maple

Foliage Color in Spring: Light to Lime Green

Foliage Color in Summer: Medium Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Golden-Yellow changing to Brilliant Pumpkin Orange

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: Clay (amend heavy clay to ensure good drainage) Sandy, Loam, Silt

Drainage: Most But Well Drained – Well drained soil is a must!

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Deer, Full Sun, Heat, Humidity, Insect, Disease, Sun Tolerant

Description

One of the oldest Japanese cultivars, the ‘Hogyoku’ Japanese Maple lives up to its name, which means jewel. It has been adored for hundreds of years for its unique fall coloration, fast growth rate, and its high tolerance of full sun. The 7-lobed palmate leaves emerge a bright to lime green is spring maturing to a rich green by summer. With the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall the leaves start to turn a golden yellow color changing to brilliant pumpkin orange shades as the season progresses. All grown up Hogyoku will grow 15 to 20 feet tall and 12 to 15 feet wide in an upright vase to 15-18′ tall and to 12-15′ wide in an upright rounded vase form and dense foliage.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, Hogyoku 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 them in groupings of three or use two to accentuate an entryway. Also great for use in planters and other containers.

Suggested Spacing: Best used as a specimen

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 groundcovers 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 garden beds or containers. 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.

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 Hogyoku is one of the best!

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!

We collect JPs and that’s what I love the most about Wilson Bros.
The varieties they stock are very rare.
Have ordered several in the past year and all, including this one has been exceptional.
Thank You!!————————————————–You’re very welcome! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy your purchase for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I love these trees. They were package so securely , it was hard to get them out of the box. Arrived in phenomenal condition. Can’t wait to see them change color.——————————————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