Orion Dwarf Red Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Orion’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 6a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Shrub or Tree

Height at Maturity: 3-4′ at 10 years of age; 4 to 5′ at maturity

Width at Maturity: 3-5′ at 10 years, 6-7′ at maturity

Growth Habit / Form: Rounded Mound

Growth Rate: Slow

Foliage Color in Spring: Crimson to Cherry Red

Foliage Color in Summer: Coppery tones with Orange-Red new growth

Foliage Color in Fall: Soft Orange

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: Clay (Amend heavy clay 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 5-9), Deer – more info, Insect, Disease

Description

With subtle but absolutely beautiful coloration that lends itself well to many placements in the landscape, ‘Orion’ is a dwarf Japanese Maple featuring extremely feathery tiny leaves that emerge crimson to cherry red in spring transitioning to unusual coppery-bronze and olive-green tones with shoots of orange-red new leaves throughout the summer. The color contrast is truly remarkable. Cooler temperatures in fall bring a delightful soft-orange color. At maybe 4 to 5 feet tall and 6 to 7 feet wide when all grown up, Orion makes for an eye-catching specimen in small to medium size landscape spaces. In our north-central Georgia gardens, we have Orion growing in a spot that gets the morning and late afternoon sun with shade during the mid-afternoon and it does great. But we hear from folks in cool-summer climates that it thrives in full sun.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Orion Japanese Maple is ideal for use as a focal point specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That said, it can be grouped ot two can be used to accentuate an entrance where space allows. 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 under Helpful Articles below for Japanese Maple container planting instructions.

Suggested Spacing: 9 feet or more apart for space between plants

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.

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 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, there are many sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties, of which Orion 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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