Acer palmatum ‘Asahi-zuru’

Talk about standing out from the crowd! This beautiful little tree has the most amazing multicoloured foliage; the deeply lobed leaves can be white, soft or deep pink as well as mid green. The colour and the markings on each leaf are individual, including some leaves being totally green, white or pink, so it creates a very striking tree in the spring and summer. Then in the autumn, the foliage takes on the classic fiery colours of red, orange and yellow. 

Acers are widespread across the Japanese Islands and occur over a huge range of soils and conditions. They tend not to be gross feeders and the use of a balanced rose fertiliser or slow-release pellets applied lightly in spring seems to be sufficient. They have shallow and fibrous root balls so are pretty good in pots. 

Acers tend not to need much pruning, but should it be necessary then it is better to start shaping the plant while young as the smaller the pruning wound, the sooner it heals. Larger stems should be pruned when the trees are dormant well before the sap rises in the spring. Good hygiene of tools and equipment is always essential to avoid spread of disease.  

Acer palmatum is almost wholly endemic to Japan and is the most variable of all the Acer species with some named cultivars originating from the wild and others in cultivation. The accurate naming of the plants is an area of much confusion, and a lot of work is being done to tidy up the taxonomy of the species.