Why Plant Red Pygmy Japanese Maple?
With its feathery, fine-textured leaves, Red Pygmy Japanese Maple will bring a feeling of lightness and softness to your landscape. Planted near the entrance to your home, it will be a welcoming tree that invites a closer look; planted by your back patio, its cloudlike foliage will inspire a peaceful frame of mind while you unwind at the end of the day. Besides its fluffy texture, this enchanting little ornamental tree also offers a marvelous show of changing colors though the seasons. Like a mood ring, its leaves shift from red in spring to green with red highlights in summer, to gold in fall. Truly a treasure.
Red Pygmy belongs to a category of Japanese Maples known as the “Linearlilobum” group, in reference to the leaves’ long, linear, ribbon-like lobes. The foliage of the trees in this group is often compared to that of bamboo. Red Pygmy is a Japanese tree discovered in an Italian garden by a Dutch nurseryman! C. Esveld Nursery of the Netherlands introduced it in 1969. Now in its sixth generation of management, this family nursery has been going strong for over 150 years. Japanese Maples remain one of their biggest passions.
How to use Red Pygmy Japanese Maple in the landscape?
Don’t panic if your Red Pygmy Japanese Maple has some leaves that are different from the super-skinny leaves it is famous for. This is normal. On some Japanese Maples, the new growth tends to produce wider-lobed or “juvenile” foliage. Once the branch is two or three years old, its leaves will assume the proper (“adult”) form. Different leaves coming from the base of the tree, however, should be pruned off.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
How To Plant Red Pygmy Japanese Maple
This petite, slow-growing tree fits into any garden no matter how small, and caring for it is a breeze. Give Red Pygmy a site in full sun or light shade. As with most Japanese Maples, a location that offers morning sun while providing some relief in the form of shade during the hottest hours of the afternoon gives the best results. One disease that can strike Japanese Maples is verticillium wilt. This often fatal disease is best prevented by proper watering and feeding, which will empower your tree to use its own natural defenses to ward off such problems.
How To Water
Once you have found the perfect location to plant your Japanese Maple, it will appreciate regular water during the first few years in the ground. Be sure to keep it watered throughout dry spells until it has become established in your garden.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established as it gives your tree the nutrients it needs to produce lush new growth for the following spring.
How To Prune
Little pruning is necessary for this slow-growing Japanese Maple. However, if suckers appear at the base of the tree, be sure to remove them!
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
