Osakazuki Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 15-25′

Width at Maturity: 15′

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Vase Shape, Rounded crown

Growth Rate: Fast

Foliage Color in Spring: Lime Green

Foliage Color in Summer: Bright Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Brilliant Crimson Red

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: 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 – more info, Heat Tolerant, Insect, Disease, Sun Tolerant

Description

One of the oldest cultivars, and the fastest growing, ‘Osakazuki’ also has what we think is the most brilliant red fall foliage color of any Japanese Maple in existence. As the temperatures begin to cool in fall, its large, 7-lobed, bright green summer leaves become flushed with red, then suddenly turning to the most vibrant, glowing crimson red you’ve ever seen on any Japanese maple. The branches of Osakazuki form an absolutely beautiful vase-shape tree with a rounded crown that reaches 15 to 18 feet tall in the first 10 years and up to 25 feet at maturity.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, Osakazuki 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 to accentuate the entrance.

Suggested Spacing: At least 20 feet apart 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 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.

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, you can find a complete listing of our sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties here, of which Osakazuki 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!

I received my J.M “Osakazuki and am blown away with how beautiful it is and and how well it came through shipping. I was a little apprehensive about the transport since it’s a larger (5 Gallon) size and 6 feet tall (including the pot), but it arrived in perfect condition. Many thanks and may you also grow long and prosper!———————————————– 🙂 You’re very welcome! 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

I am very happy with my first order from Wilson Bros. I recently received a 5-gallon Osakazuki Japanese maple. The packaging was perfect (no damage), delivery amazingly quick and the tree is beautifully shaped and a good size. Osakazuki is my favorite Japanese maple and very hard to find. I am very pleased with my order and will consider ordering again from this company.———————————————————Thanks for the awesome review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I could start out by telling you the condition of the specimen upon arrival was in fabulous condition, beautifully secure and in amazing shape having just been transported hundreds of miles. The tree is in the ground now and we loving oversee it for water needs and sun exposure. I feel like this tree, as with the other one we received, where lovingly attended to in its infancy and feel very blessed to be a recipient of this specimen. A wonderful experience. We are thrilled with this addition to our home yard.———————————————–Thanks so much for your review. Let us know if there’s ever anything we can help you with. 🙂 – Beth | WBG

The 5 gallon I purchased in the winter was impressively large and well-shapped. I buy my maples from Wilson brothers for the larger available sizes and careful shipping. I am always more than satisfied with my new tree and seamless ordering experience.———————————————Awesome! 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

Great Service – Helped me pick out 5 Gallon Tree with Photos and were very helpful. I was looking for a nice Osakazuki and they were hard to find. Very happy with my first order from Wilson Bros! Tree arrived in great shape, as described, and doing very well. Thanks.———————————————————————-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

The plant arrived so well packaged and in excellent condition.
It has now been planted and is doing very well. Wilson Bros. was an excellent choice. The packaging is a real big deal when I compare to my previous experience with other companies. I have now ordered more than 15 trees from Wilson Bros. and the packaging has always been excellent and the plants have been very healthy. I have not had a single problem so far.
I understand that the plants are also prepared so they can withstand the stress during transit and this really shows. Highly recommended.—————————————————————–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

Tree arrived beautiful and packaged carefully. The ordering process was executed easy and the team acted swiftly with alarming speed to ensure the order was shipped out. I received it only within 2 business days which was incredibly fast! I will definitely be coming back for future purchases given the amount of efficiency I received with this order.——————————————————————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

Tree was packaged amazingly well to prevent movement and/or dumping of contents. It also arrived with amazing speed, however , we were only one state away … still, amazing. Tree was well branched, altho it had had one main that was cut back some months earlier, presumably because it had grown too long for good balance … or so it could fit into the four foot package. Leaves were pretty shabby but all attached, which would not be uncommon for a late fall delivery. Planted it the day it arrived and it is doing wonderfully. Couldn’t be happier with the quality of product, outstanding packaging and speed of delivery. Top notch.———————————————————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

The tree arrived carefully packaged and was in good condition. It looks great in my backyard. I look forward to watching it grow and see its leaves change color in the autumn.—————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Well packaged. Arrived dormant and I planted it same day. It is now leafed out and looks beautiful and healthy. A few dead twigs, but no problem.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

We ordered an Osakazuki Japanese maple tree from Wilson Bros. From start to finish they were beyond helpful with answering questions and calling me to tell me the height of the trees they had in stock. Angie went above and beyond with her customer service and was so friendly. Since ordering the maple we have made several more orders with them. We absolutely love the care that he give their plants and trees.—————————————-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

Tree arrived well boxed and secured, the tree was larger than I expected. Very quick shipping.——————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Osakazuki was larger and healthier than I imagined. Very well packaged. Went from bud to bloom within 3 days of planting.. Can’t wait to see the fall color.!————————————–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 probably my favorite Japanese maple cultivar. It grows well in full Georgia sun and the fall color is without equal. This tree arrived perfectly. It was larger than I expected and had great symmetry. I planted it last weekend and can’t wait for the buds to open.——————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I received a very healthy 4.5 foot tree with lovely trident branching. Planted in my backyard in a part-shade area. It has done very well despite that we’ve had some storms with stronger winds and predictable springtime variances in weather. The tree came packaged very well. I will buy from Wilson again! Happy customer.———————————————–Thanks for the great review! We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG

I searched for the Japanese maple that gets the brightest red in the fall and has bright green leaves in the summer. This is listed as that which is why I was willing to pay a lot of money for it. It is planted in memory of my husband’s mother who just passed away recently. It arrived in a timely manner and was packed in a very safe way so that it arrived completely healthy and undamaged. The size was not huge but not tiny either. It is dormant now but looks healthy and I’m very pleased. Can’t wait to see how it does this spring when it leafs out.—————————————-Hi Cindy, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Osakazuki Japanese Maple. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens