About Acersonline

Thank you for visiting our website. We are passionate about growing Japanese Maples and can package the plants securely so that plants can be delivered to your door safely and undamaged. In so doing we offer a unique service as our range is quite extensive.

Japanese Maples are a widely cultivated family of plants useful as small trees, large shrubs, container plants, and bonsai. There are many exciting cultivars that  look good in many different situations. Long recognised for their value in the orient, they are only now being widely appreciated in Europe. 
Technically any maple native to Japan would be a 'Japanese Maple'.  In common use, Acer palmatum is the intended species, with Acer japonicum and Acer shirasawanum thrown in the mix . All the Acers grown for Acersonline are of the Acer Palmatum type, and all have been grafted which gives a stronger plant.

Culture: Japanese maples are surprisingly easy to grow and maintain. They are generally winter hardy to about –20 degrees. However in early spring when the first new leaves appear they need protection from frost , preferably being kept in a glasshouse or poly tunnel with a fleece covering. 
Most any garden soil will grow Japanese maples, but the soil must be well drained! Wet soggy soil around the roots is a killer. They grow in a wide range of soil pH preferring a slightly acidic soil.
Japanese maples grow in sun or shade. In their natural habitat Japanese maples are understory trees, growing in dappled forest sunlight and at the edges of woodlands. Ideally they prefer to be grown in similar conditions. Bright sunlight and hot summers do not kill trees, but in hot summer areas, the newest leaves may burn and scald in these conditions. 

Plants should have a consistent supply of water during the first 2 or 3 years after planting. Established trees can withstand considerable dry spells and even periods of drought, but young trees may dry up and die under the same circumstances. A lack of water during the early years of establishment is the number one killer of young trees. Few pests or diseases afflict Japanese maples, and no regular spraying or controls are indicated. 

For those interested in learning more we recommend-
'Maples of the World' and 'Maples for Gardens' by D.M. van Gelderen. Gives a European perspective on the Japanese maples. Both are packed with color photographs.
‘Japanese Maples' - by J. D. Vertrees & Peter Gregory is the bible on Japanese Maples. This latest edition has  updated grouping of types as shown below: 

Amoenum Group – Leaf lobes are moderately divided to 2/3rds the way to the leaf base.

Palmate Group – Leaf lobes are deeply divided 2/3 to 3/4 of the way to the leaf base.

Matsumurae Group – Leaf lobes are very deeply divided more than 3/4 of the way to the leaf base.

Linearlobum Group – Leaves have long narrow strap-like lobes, divided to the leaf base.

Dissectum Group – Leaf lobes are very deeply divided and deeply dissected into sublobes.

Dwarf Group – These are the smallest growers

Other Group – Maples who cannot be placed in the above groups.

Note: The cultivars are all grafted. Normally they are grafted close to the top of the soil line, but most dissectums are grafted between 12" to 24" high on the root stock to create a small trunk for the weeping branches to descend from. This reduces the need for staking and creates a larger, fuller plant faster.