‘Peve’s Starfish’ Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Peve’s Starfish’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 6-8′ in 20 years

Width at Maturity: 4-5′ in 20 years

Growth Habit / Form: Upright

Growth Rate: Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Bright Red in spring

Foliage Color in Summer: Deep Maroon in summer with flushes of Bright Red

Foliage Color in Fall: Brilliant Crimson Red

Light Needs: Morning Sun with Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun; Evening Sun is okay

Water Needs: Average, moderately drought tolerant when established

Soil Type: Clay (Amend heavy clay soil to ensure good drainage), Loam, Sandy, Silty

Drainage: Moist But Well Drained

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Deer – more info, Heat Tolerant, Insect Resistant, Sun Tolerant

Description

One of the most unique and interesting Japanese Maples in our gardens, Peve’s Starfish is a slow-growing, semi-dwarf, upright tree that might reach 8 feet tall and half as wide in 20 years, making it a fine selection for small garden spaces or in containers. What’s most intriguing are the leaves, with cupped, narrow lobes that curl downward, looking much like a starfish, hence the name. The leaf colors are fascinating as well, emerging a bright red in spring transitioning to a deep maroon (almost black) by summer. Cooler temperatures in fall bring on brilliant crimson red shades. Sure to be a conversation piece.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Peve’s Starfish Japanese Maple is best used as a specimen in smaller garden spaces or containers to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That said, you can plant several in a grouping or use two to frame an entryway.

Suggested Spacing: At least 6 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 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.

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 Peve’s Starfish prefers growing in similar conditions. 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 get 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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