Red Dragon Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Red Dragon’

Plant Details

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

Plant Type: Deciduous Shrub or Tree

Height at Maturity: 4-5′

Width at Maturity: 4-6′

Growth Habit / Form: Mounding, Weeping

Growth Rate: Slow

Foliage Color in Spring: Purple-red

Foliage Color in Summer: Burgundy-red

Foliage Color in Fall: 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, Mostly Shade

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 our all-time favorites of the lace leaf Japanese Maples, ‘Red Dragon’ is a sun-tolerant dwarf with a mounding form and weeping branches covered in lacy, ribbon-like leaves. The leaves emerge a deep purple in spring, gradually turn to purplish red in summer and finally to a stunning, crimson-red in fall. The leaves hold their rich color better in sun than any other lace leaf variety we’ve grown. Growing slowly to about 4 to 5 feet tall and wide, Red Dragon is ideal for smaller garden spaces and containers.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Red Dragon Japanese Maple is ideal for use in garden beds and containers as a focal point specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That said, Japanese Maples are often used to accentuate entryways by planting one on both sides of an entrance, or spaced widely in small clusters of three.

Suggested Spacing: 8 feet or more apart for space between plants

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.

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.

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5a, where this Japanese Maple cultivar is not reliably winter hardy outdoors, 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, there are many sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties, of which Red Dragon 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!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us!

I wasn’t sure Japanese maples would do well in the Florida sun; once I learned of special considerations, I set upon acquiring a tree.
I view Wilson Bros selections, zeroed in on a tree (in the photo), contacted a sales person who was extremely accommodating; and voila, (that) tree is in a planter on the lana’i, doing admirably.
I have NEVER purchased an ornamental online (I’m VERY picky). the Wilson staff changed my perspective; I have no compunction purchasing from (them), in the future.
AND, the tree arrived in superb condition, having lost one small branch!—————————————–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

What a find Wilson Brothers Garden is. Looked in my area for a dwarf Japanese red maple and didn’t find what I wanted. Found Wilson Bros web site, saw what I wanted and even though was concerned about it shipping, took the chance and ordered. The tree arrived quickly and packing was phenomenal! My little tree was in perfect shape, ready for planting. Would absolutely order from them again…they obviously know what they are doing!————————————————–Thanks for the photo! 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

My Japanese Maple tree arrived in perfect, healthy condition. We planted it and it’s thriving! Couldn’t be happier!———————————————Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I was so pleased with my order and it shipped so fast. The Japanese Red Dragon dwarf tree was beautiful ! This is a top notch company to deal with.———————————————-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 little tree was in wonderful shape and packed nice and securely for the ride from Georgia to Texas. I have been VERY impressed with Wilson Bros Gardens over the years….both from the standpoint of a very knowledgeable and helpful staff to the quality of the plants that I have received from them. I am taking great care to insure that this little Dwarf Red Dragon Japanese Maple has the best fighting chance to make it in the blistering Texas sun. Fingers crossed!—————————————————–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

The tree came very healthy and beautiful. It was well packed and received quickly after purchase. We love it!—————————————————Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I received my weeping dwarf red maple tree just days after I ordered it. It was securely shipped and looked beautiful. This is not my first dwarf maple, but I was delighted even more than the first time. I planted it the same day and it is still looking great. Thank you so much. If I have any ongoing issues, I will be sure to let you know. Once again, thank you.—————————————————————-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

Lovely tree. Arrived safely in good condition. It is a beautiful specimen.————————————————–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 can’t express how pleased and impressed I am with the quality and health of my new 5 gallon Red Dragon Japanese Maple. It was packaged with unbelievable care for its safety to its destination, and that was such a pleasant surprise! Thank you so much team Wilson Bros.. you are 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

We ordered online and the service was excellent. The tree came in great shape. We would definitely buy from Wilson Brothers 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

I fell in love with this little beauty the second I opened the box and saw it. It’s straight, pruned perfectly, and full. It was in great shape too. It was packaged in such a way that the tree itself was well protected. The only problem was the pot cracked during shipping and some of the dirt had come out. Didn’t seem to affect the tree though, and we immediately put that pot into a bigger one with more soil in it so it wouldn’t dry out before we were able to plant it.
I live in Phoenix so we will give it special attention with misters especially during the summer. I love this little tree and definitely glad we got it.———————————————Wow! Thanks for the photos! 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

Ordered as a retirement gift for my hubby- arrived quickly, no broken limbs and the requested 5 gallon size. The detailed instructions were helpful. It’s in the ground an so far looks fine.——————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope he enjoys it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I bought a 5 gallon tree and it was well worth the money it looks absolutely amazing it has a lot of shape and a lot of branches I don’t know if I’ve got lucky or this is what all of the trees look like but I’m certainly going to order more from this company I had a great experience.—————————————————-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

Received this maple in great condition. I am very satisfied it. It’s just lovely.—————————————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 Dragon Dwarf Japanese Maple we purchased was delivered in excellent condition and the plant looked great. Thank You.———————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WB

I guess like lots of folks, the Pandemic has me doing a lot more online shopping. So when I decided to try to find the Japanese maple I had my heart set on for our new house, I started an internet search. It was harder than I thought to find the Red Dragon, but you all had it. Your website is easy to navigate, and your sales approach is very friendly, The tree arrived on time and in great condition.. and is now in its place. Thank you. I’ll be back!———————————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

Very skeptical about ordering expensive tree online, but we’re very pleased. Hope we can keep it healthy and will enjoy watching it grow.—————————————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

This was my second Japanese maple that I purchased from Wilson Bros.
Both arrived within days. The trees were packaged perfectly. They both arrived beautifully. Very healthy, and bigger than expected.
Wilson Bros is now one of my favorites now.
Am in the process of purchasing plants for the garden. Can’t wait to get them——————————————-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

I ordered this online but asked for pics to be provided prior to my order. The team was VERY professional with addressing the tons of questions I had. As a novice gardener, I wanted to make sure I ordered the right plant. I am very pleased with my order and will be ordering more.——————————————————-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

Product as described and fast delivery to my home in the Midwest. Plant was well packaged and healthy upon arrival and well packaged. Transplanted into ground same day as delivery and at 3 weeks is doing and looking great. I would highly recommend purchasing from this service.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review and the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

We ordered the 5 gallon pot. It arrived in great shape & within 2 business days. It was packaged nicely to keep it safe during shipment. Definitely pleased with ordering from here!————————————Thanks for the photos! 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

We ordered the Red Dragon specifically for a spot near the entrance to our courtyard and it fits perfectly and looks lovely. The plant arrived very quickly as was in good shape. I’m glad I chose the Red Dragon instead of the Crimson Beauty because of the rich, red color.
We live in zone 6 in Santa Fe, NM. Thank you Wilson Bros. for your prompt service.——————————————-I love the Red Dragon too! 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

Shipping was very fast! Our 5 gallon Red Dragon Japanese Tree is in perfect shape and extremely healthy. I was nervous ordering online, but the 4 nurseries around us did not carry the Red Dragon. I’ve bookmarked and favorited Wilson Brothers for future purchases! Thank you so very much! We’re still working on our landscaping, but here’s a quick snapshot of the little tree :)——————————————-Thanks for the photo. 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 have always wanted a red dragon. I took a chance ordering online. I could not have been more pleased. Wilsonbrosgardens does a Great Job in shipping! I would not hesitate to recommend them or order again! I am very happy with my purchase!—————————————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 Red Dragon Japanese maple arrived well packaged and in good condition. The plant is very healthy, full, and a nice size. I am very happy with my tree.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

The Japanese maple we received was in beautiful condition and has been doing really well despite some unexpected snow after we put it in the ground. I reached out to the wilson bros team with some questions after planting and they were great about responding. 10/10 recommend ordering from this business.————————————–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 came in excellent condition with beautiful leaves and great shape. Our first internet plants and we are very pleased. Would definitely use Wilson Brothers again.——————————————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 don’t know where to begin except to say WOW! The tree just arrived, packed beautifully and the tree is healthy, gorgeous and exactly what I HOPED it would be.
My expectations have been exceeded and will not go on any longer because I want to go to your site to buy a couple more beautiful plants. Mail order plants have left me disappointed and you are in a category of your own.————————————-Thanks so much for the kind words!! We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

So far so good. I am taking care of this tree like it is a baby so I am hoping it will survive the winter and thrive this spring. The tree came in good shape. I followed instructions on how to plant it and so far it looks good.———————————–It should have no problem surviving the winter! 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

Apprehensive about ordering a tree on line. Was very pleased with the shipping packing and the tree itself. I was afraid it would be a stick. Not at all. It was a beautiful shaped dwarf tree. Nice job Team Wilson. Love my tree.——————————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

My wife had her heart set on red dragon Japanese maple as we remake our front yard. I was pleased to see that Wilson Bros had trees available in a 5 gallon pot. Having never ordered a tree online before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The tree was shipped out promptly and arrived in great shape. Planting instructions were informative and easy to follow.. All is going well 3 weeks in.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you both enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Love, Love, LOVE this little Dwarf Red Dragon Japanese Maple!!! It’s EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for for the front of our new house. It shipped quickly and arrived in great condition due to careful packaging. I can’t wait to plant it! This is the third plant I’ve ordered from Wilson Bros and they don’t disappoint. I was concerned about shipping a 5 gallon potted plant to Virginia, but they did a fabulous job and my plants have arrived safe and sound. I highly recommend y’all to everyone. Keep up the great work!———————————–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

As with every plant I’ve purchased from Wilson Bros, this Japanese Maple arrived quickly, well packaged, of good size, and very healthy! I am always impressed with the plants from Wilson Bros! This picture is about a week after receipt. It is transitioning and dropping leaves, but also has very healthy buds.——————————-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

Received my Red Dragon Dwarf Japanese Maple and it looked great from traveling from Georgia to Oregon over Multiple day’s. Wilson Bros Garden kept me informed on shipping and arrival time. Great little tree for the cost :)———————–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

From the moment I found the Wilson Bros Gardens website (with it’s down to earth presentation ), through the ordering process (very clear/ easy), to the arrival of the tree (wrapped in sophisticated packaging and in pristine health), to the planting of the tree (using the fortified soil around its roots), to today with my little baby tree thriving in my backyard. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier that I stumbled upon this amazing family-owned company and, when I’m in the market for another tree, they can count on me to return. A very happy and satisfied customer!—————————————–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

My tree came looking healthy and happy and it’s still doing great almost one month in.———————————————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 the dwarf lace leaf maples with some hesitation; after all, we had made a significant investment and feared the shipping could harm the plant. Both of ours arrived in fantastic shape. It was obvious that experience, concern and professionalism went into packaging our plant. I had dabbled with bonsai a few years ago and had learned a lot about the best practices to grow plants well. One of those is to leave some aeration and not pack the root wad too densely. That is exactly how our plants arrived and, being careful when planting, our maples have absolutely thrived since!!! Thank you so much:-). We will be ordering again:-)————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the awesome review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I am very pleased with my new japanese maple. It arrived safely packed and still moist. It transplanted wonderfully. I have ordered quite a few plants from this nursery and I am very pleased with all of them. I will be ordering more this fall.———————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

This tree is Beautiful! Packed and shipped and shipped without any damage to the tree.——————————————Thanks for the great review! We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG

If you are looking for a Japanese maple that is sun tolerant this is the one for you. Planted and thriving very well.———————————Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG

I couldn’t find this cultivar locally, and it was highly recommended for my landscape plan, so I was very pleased that Wilson Bros. had it. Carefully packaged, the trees arrived quickly and safely. They are beautiful!!

This tree arrived in perfect condition and was a super healthy tree. It was in far better condition than ones we had seen in a nursery. I’d definitely buy again!————————-WBG Reply: Hi Barbara, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Red Dragon Dwarf Japanese Maple. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens