Sango Kaku Coral Bark Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 20-25′

Width at Maturity: 15-20′

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Vase Shape

Growth Rate: Moderate, Fast

Foliage Color in Spring: Lime Green

Foliage Color in Summer: Medium Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Golden Yellow, Orange, Red, Pink

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, Heat Tolerant, Insect, Disease, Sun Tolerant

Description

A year round color factory in the landscape, the ‘Sango Kaku’ Japanese Maple, commonly called Coral Bark Maple, lives up to its name. In Japanese, ‘Sango Kaku’ means “Coral Tower”…and refers to the almost fluorescent coral-red color its branches and stems turn during the fall and winter persisting into spring. In early spring new leaves emerge an intense lime-green color that is a stunning contrast to the red branches – truly a sight to behold! The leaves turn light to medium green by summer and then to bright golden-yellow in fall fading to shades of orange, red and pink before falling. Though growing 20 to 25 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide at maturity, Sango Kaku’s upright vase shape makes it a good fit in smaller garden spaces. An excellent accent or focal point specimen tree in home foundation plantings landscape borders.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Sango Kaku Coral Bark Japanese Maple is best used as a focal point specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That being said, you can plant them in groupings of three or plant one on both sides of an entryway to accentuate the entrance.

Suggest 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.

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 groundcover plants that won’t interfere with or overcrowd 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 the Sango Kaku Coral Bark is one of the most sun tolerant.

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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