Plant Finder
Tsukushi Gata Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum 'Tsukushi Gata'
Height: 15 feet
Spread: 15 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5
Description:
One of the most stunning landscape accent trees available, featuring a dense, rounded habit of growth and distinctive star shaped leaves that are deep red-black and dark chocolate all summer; bright scarlet fall color
Ornamental Features
Tsukushi Gata Japanese Maple is primarily valued in the landscape for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It features subtle corymbs of red flowers rising above the foliage in mid spring before the leaves. It has attractive dark red-variegated dark brown foliage with hints of black. The lobed palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding scarlet in the fall. The smooth green bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.
Landscape Attributes
Tsukushi Gata Japanese Maple is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, 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.
Tsukushi Gata Japanese Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Tsukushi Gata Japanese Maple will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 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 80 years or more.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. 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.
