‘Seiun Kaku’ Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Sein Kaku’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-8b (9a?) Find Your Zone

Height at Maturity: 5′ in 10 years

Width at Maturity: 5′ in 10 years

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Broad, Dense

Growth Rate: Slow

Foliage Color in Spring: Yellow-Green

Foliage Color in Summer: Dark Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Bright Red & Orange shades

Light Needs: Mostly or Full Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average

Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty (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 Resistant, Sun Tolerant

Description

“Sein Kaku,” translates to “green palace in the clouds,” and this rare and beautiful Japanese maple lives up to its name. An upright tree to maybe 8 feet tall after 10 years, ‘Seuin Kaku’ is un upright selection with dense “clouds” of layered leaves at the ends of every branch on the tree. The deeply lobed elongated leaves emerge a brilliant chartreuse-yellow in spring standing out wonderfully against red stems and samaras(flowers). The leaves gradually turn to medium green in summer and then, with the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall, begin to turn shades of yellow and orange and finally to fiery red. The branch arrangement is quite unique on this tree. The major branches are horizontal and the smaller twigs holding the leaves naturally grow vertical. A very unique beauty with a lot of personality Seiun Kaku is perfect as a focal point specimen in smaller garden spaces and containers.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the ‘Sein Kaku’ Japanese Maple is best used as a specimen in smaller landscape spaces to draw attention. That said, you can plant in groupings of three or more in larger landscape spaces.

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 tree, 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 that 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, ‘Sein Kaku’ prefers to be grown in similar conditions. Morning and evening sun are fine however provide some filtered sun or shade during the mid afternoon hours. You can find a complete listing of our sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties here.

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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Birthday gift from family – very healthy tree arrived in great condition . Wonderful.————————————————-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