Seiryu Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Seiryu’

Plant Details

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

Height at Maturity: 15-20′

Width at Maturity: 15′

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: Orange, Red, Yellow

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 toughest but most delicate looking of the Japanese maples in our gardens, and among the easiest of to grow, the ‘Seiryu’ is an absolutely beautiful upright Japanese Maple with finely dissected lacy leaves, which are typical on the mounding dwarfs but rare on upright cultivars. The thin, ribbon-like leaves emerge a brilliant lime green in spring turning to medium green in summer and then to vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange for a stunning fall display. Seiryu grows 15 to 20 feet tall with a vase form with very natural branching similar to native dogwoods and can be grown in full sun to shady sites. Has demonstrated exceptional heat tolerance performing well as far south as USDA Zone 9.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, Seiryu 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 Seiryu is among 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!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us!

I ordered a Japanese maple from Wilson Bros. based on what I read about the company, other customer reviews and price. The tree came exactly as expected and looks very healthy in it’s new home. I am completely satisfied with my purchase and the fast shipping service I received from Wilson Bros. I will go back to them for future landscaping needs.————————————————-Hi Craig, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Seiryu Japanese Maple. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

My Japanese maples arrived fresh and well packaged. First time ordering from Wilson Brothers and am well pleased with the product and packaging. Will be ordering much more. I want to make an area with an oriental feel and these Seiryu Maples are the beginning. Any ideas on companion plants to give it that oriental theme would be much appreciated.——————————————–Hi Jeff, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Seiryu Japanese Maple. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! I’m providing links below with some ideas for you. 🙂
Japnese Garden Newsletter 7/9/2019
Japanese Garden Newsletter 5/10/2019
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

Tree was very healthy and bigger than I expected for a one gallon- probably 4’ tall. Thanks Wilson’s Bros!————————–WBG Reply: Hi Rick, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Seiryu Japanese Maple. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

Beautiful healthy tree! Quick shipping, and the tree was packed securely and safely in the box. Very happy so far! ———————– WBG Reply: Hi Marianne – Thanks so much for your review of the Seiryu Japanese Maple and for the compliments on our packaging. We hope you enjoy this magnificent tree for years to come. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

Beautiful specimen arrived well-packaged and healthy. I am very pleased with this purchase. ———————– WBG Reply: Hi Laura – Thanks so much for your review of the Seiryu Japanese Maple and we hope you enjoy it for years to come. Seiryu is my favorite of the green leaf Japanese maple cultivars. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

I adore Japanese maples and have long wanted this one – an upright version of my beloved Waterfall. It arrived in excellent condition and even as a skinny sapling my Azure Dragon is a spring thing of beauty. I can’t wait to see it in the fall – if it is anything like my Waterfall I may be weeping (like the tree) from the beauty of it. Arigatou, WBG. ————————– WBG Reply: Hi Deborah – If you love the Waterfall you’ll also love the Seiryu. I have both in my gardens and they’re equally as spectacular. If I had to pick a favorite between the two it would be the Seiryu, primarily because it’s an uncommon upright and i just love the form. It’s also one of if not the fastest of all Japanese maple cultivars I’ve grown in my gardens over the years, which now totals around 90. Thanks for providing your review and let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you. Arigatou! – Brooks | Wilson Bros Gardens

Wilson Bros Gardens had the best qualities Japanese maple trees you can buy from the internet. Their prices and services are the best! I had received two trees from them. They arrived in excellence condition. The trees are well packed and secured in side the box. No soil spilled out from the container. If you are a serious gardener, buy the trees from them. —————— WBG Reply: Hi T. – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review, and for the compliments! It’s been our pleasure to serve you. Hope you enjoy the Seiryu Japanese Maple for years to come. Such a beautiful tree. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens