Winter can take all the interest out of a garden unless that season in particular is planned ahead for. A good landscape design starts with the winter garden - it is " worse case scenario". Winter gardens should be strong and structural. All the soft, moving, colorful distractions of the other three seasons are gone. Monet-like, it is not. But, evergreen texture needs a partner . Deciduous shrubs and trees with interesting shapes and colors paired with the evergreens creates a focal point in the rhythm of the evergreen punch.

Facts about the acer palmatum (according to Horticopia, Inc.):

Summer Leaf - Green

Fall Leaf - Orange, Attractive fall colors

Bloom Color - Red

Bloom Time - Spring

Fruit Color - Red

Growth Rate - Slow growth rate

Height - 15' to 25'

Spread - 25' to 50'

Exposure - Full shade to Full sun

Moisture - Grows in most soil

Soil & Climate - Soil Condition: Acidic, Clay, Loamy, Sandy, Well drained, Acidic; Does not tolerate salt

There are so many different varieties that it would be difficult not to find a Japanese Maple that compliments your landscaping. There are upright, weeping, variegated, horizontal branching, vase-shaped... and the list goes on. Some varieties like, 'Sango Kaku' are actually more interesting stripped of their foliage because the bark is the color of ripe persimmons. Twisted, gnarled branches with "fingers" that cascade to the ground are a great place to tuck garden ornamentation when the tiny leaves create mysterious hiding niches, but winter strips the leaves and creates a spineless umbrella ice with snow. Find a piece of garden art that will withstand the cold, and place below this umbrella, and the effect is very dynamic.

Japanese Maples create a wonderful opportunity for landscape lighting as well. The patterns created as "tracery" thrown onto a wall or fence by an angled-up lighting can make anyone forget low-voltage lights trotting down the sidewalk.

These trees need good sun exposure, and well drained, but nutrient-filled soil. Their delicate leaves can bum easily and don't like being watered from overhead. A slow trickle from the garden hose for the first few years is best and well worth the effort. Fertilize once a year with tree spikes (late fall) and prune the delicate ends of branches killed back by the winter in late spring. Prune for architectural interest in the fall when the branches can be completely seen without leaves. Beautiful trees have "layers" of branching and spaces between to show off the wonderful bark, and curved branches.