Orange Flame Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Orange Flame’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 12-15′ in 10-15 years

Width at Maturity: 8-10′

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Vase Shape

Growth Rate: Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Bright Orange

Foliage Color in Summer: Light Green, Flaming Orange-Red

Foliage Color in Fall: Bright Reds, Yellows, Oranges

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

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, Heat Tolerant, Insect, Disease, Sun Tolerant

Description

An absolutely beautiful tree with vivid coloring spring through fall! Growing to about 12 to 15 feet in height with about an 8 to 10 foot spread, the Orange Flame Japanese Maple is an upright grower. In spring it’s new leaves emerge bright orange turning a pleasant light green in late spring or early summer. In summer the second flush of new leaves emerge a brilliant flaming orange against the mature light green leaves. Fall invites a wonderful combination of colors including oranges, reds, and yellows. If that’s not enough orange, the bark of the newer branching turns orange during winter! In warmer southern climates we recommend giving Orange Flame afternoon shade for best performance and color.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, a 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 plant one on both sides of an entryway.

Suggested Spacing: At least 14′ 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. Click on the link below under Helpful Articles for Japanese Maple container planting instructions.

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 groundcovers 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 Orange Dream Flame Maple prefers to be grown in similar conditions. That said, there are many sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties.

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!

Very excited about this Japanese Maple. It looks healthy and is doing great a month after replanting in a barrel. Will shop with you again——————————————-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

This is our second tree from Wison Bros. in the last year …. both were in fantastic condition and the packaging was excellent . The Orange Flame was the size that was quoted, and was still in it’s fall foliage….. we planted it right away.———————————————————–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