Butterfly Japanese Maple Tree

Year-Round Show of Color

The ever-changing colors of the Butterfly Japanese Maple make this unique tree an interesting accent to your landscape…and it looks brilliant as a stand-alone ornamental.

It changes colors with the seasons. Starting with pinkish foliage in early spring, the gray-green leaves incorporate splashes of red with silvery-white borders throughout the summer. And as fall approaches, the green leaves transition to a deep scarlet-magenta color to make for a spectacular autumnal show.

Even in winter, its miniature, reddish maple hues will nod and flow in the breeze adding a dynamic display in your garden. Plus, its distinctive 3-inch leaves, with five lobes, open like the palm of a hand and will occasionally have a slight twist as they emerge. The papery, double-winged seed pods, called samaras, ripen during September and October and flow in the breeze to add more dimension.

Best of all? It’s low-maintenance, and this long-lived specimen is naturally resistant to diseases and insects, so you’ll rarely need to treat it with fungicides or insecticides. Just give it a good start, and it will reward you for years to come.

Clearly showing off its native roots of Japan, Korea, and China, this classy tree can be placed wherever you wish and it will be a point of year-round interest. Use it in containers, bonsai, Asian themes, or small gardens to display its unique beauty!

Planting & Care

1. Planting: Select an area with well-drained soil and full to partial sun for your tree (in hotter climates, you’ll want to plant in an area with protection from harsh afternoon sun). The hole should be dug slightly larger than the root system of the plant, 2 to 3 times the width and just as deep as the root ball.

Place your tree, backfill the hole and tamp down the soil as you proceed to cut back on any air pockets from forming. Water the planting site and then mulch to preserve soil moisture.

2. Watering: The average amount of water supplied to the most common lawn and garden plants should be adequate for your new Japanese maple tree. During the hot summer months, water your Japanese maple in early morning or evening. This will help protect against a condition known as “scorching” where the leaves appear to have been burnt by the sun, a condition thought to be brought on by watering in the midday sun.

3. Fertilizing: Japanese Maples do not require large amounts of nutrients. If your other lawn and garden plants do well, your maple should grow just fine. Any recommended fertilization should use a balanced complete fertilizer for shrubs and trees. This should be applied once a year in early spring, and if possible be applied just before the leaves appear.

4. Pruning: Your tree will need 2 to 3 years to become firmly established in your lawn or garden. After this period, you may begin to prune your tree if desired, although it is not required.