Maple, Red Sentinel Acer rubrum 'Red Sentinel' Height: 40 feet Spread: 18 feet
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Hardiness Zone: 5a Other Names: Swamp Maple, Scarlet Maple Description: A very tall and narrowly upright tree, adds to the landscape skyline, also great for tall narrow hedges; features spectacular fiery red fall color, showy red flowers along the bare branches in spring Ornamental Features Maple, Red Sentinel 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 an outstanding ruby-red in the fall. The furrowed silver bark and brick red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape. Landscape Attributes Maple, Red Sentinel is a dense 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 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. Maple, Red Sentinel is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Maple, Red Sentinel will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more. This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. 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 type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species. Clean up Rating (1-5) 1=least effort 5=most effort Clean Up Rating (2): 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. Clean up is blowing or raking samaras and leaves onto the lawn and mow or bag.
