Acer platanoides ‘Crimson Sentry’

‘Crimson Sentry’ is a superbly handsome acer with a hardy character. A narrow canopy, columnar habit and neatly-arranged branches make this tree a bold specimen for your garden. It grows to 8m x 3m over 25 years. Standing magnificently alert and soldier-straight, its verticality brings architecture and contrast to a mixed composition of more spreading, supine evergreen trees and shrubs. In spring, it's covered in masses of yellow flowers which are swiftly followed by the bright red young foliage. The deeply divided leaves mature to crimson in the summer, before a final flourish of palace-guard scarlet in autumn.

We have the luxury to display them in lines on our nursery. However, the slightly annoying caveat is that they remain in pots when they would look all the more commanding properly planted as an avenue or in a softer more intimate grove arrangement. Of course, expansive planting schemes might not be the order of the day but if you cannot resist squeezing in just one more specimen, ‘Crimson Sentry’ makes for a commanding statement to define a smaller garden as well.

Best in a free draining soil, it thrives in full sun to light shade, on chalk, on poor or compacted soils. Perfect where space is limited, good in windy or coastal positions and tolerant of pollution so excellent in cities.

N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.

As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.