Japanese Maple, Summer Gold Acer palmatum 'Summer Gold' Height: 12 feet Spread: 8 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5b Description: The lovely leaves of this compact variety emerge light green, changing to golden yellow for summer, then turning bright yellow in fall; protect from afternoon sun and strong winds. Ornamental Features Japanese Maple, Summer Gold is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its interestingly mounded form. It has attractive orange-tipped gold foliage which emerges light green in spring. The lobed palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding yellow in the fall. The rough brick red bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape. Landscape Attributes Japanese Maple, Summer Gold is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It has no significant negative characteristics. Japanese Maple, Summer Gold is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Japanese Maple, Summer Gold will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more. This shrub should be grown in a location with partial shade and which is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. Special Attributes Japanese maples generally produce a few to no seeds called samaras, which are commonly referred to as helicopters 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long, and approximately 1/4 inch wide. Growing in pairs, they start green then mature red during the growing season
