Maple, (Red) Armstrong Acer x freemanii 'Armstrong' Height: 50 feet Spread: 20 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4a Other Names: Acer rubrum 'Armstrong' Description: A very distinctive hybrid maple with a narrow, upright growth habit, moderate growing, consistent fall color; excellent choice for the smaller home landscape or for articulation, tends to broaden with age Ornamental Features Maple, (Red) Armstrong is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It features showy clusters of red flowers along the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has green deciduous foliage. The lobed leaves turn outstanding shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. The furrowed gray bark and brick red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape. Landscape Attributes Maple, (Red) Armstrong is a deciduous tree with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics. Maple, (Red) Armstrong is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Maple, (Red) Armstrong will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a high canopy of foliage that sits well above the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more. This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. Special Attributes Rubrum (Red) Maples generally have few to no seeds in the Pacific Northwest Desert with proper watering through the growing season. If it seeds the samaras, commonly known as helicopters for their winged shape. The size of seeds are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long.
