Japanese Maple, Autumn Moon Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' Height: 15 feet Spread: 10 feet
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Hardiness Zone: 4b Description: This new introduction is taking the plant world by storm with its golden foliage tipped in rich red which lasts into summer, followed by vibrant fall color, the effect is stunning; an ideal accent for the bright home landscape Ornamental Features Japanese Maple, Autumn Moon has attractive tomato-orange-tipped chartreuse foliage which emerges scarlet in spring on a tree with a round habit of growth. The lobed leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of gold and in the fall. Landscape Attributes Japanese Maple, Autumn Moon is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. 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 should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics. Japanese Maple, Autumn Moon is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Japanese Maple, Autumn Moon will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 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 tree 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. 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
