The Japanese maple is a deciduous, dome-shaped shrub/tree that reaches heights of 30 feet. Multiple trunks may join close to the ground. This maple prefers shade, can be invasive with its seedlings, and often grows as an understory tree. Adult trees are almost as wide as they are tall, casting shadows and making it difficult to place plants needing sunlight beneath them.
The Japanese maple includes a beautiful variety of hybrids (over 300 cultivars) with varying leaf shapes and foliage colors from light green to red. Dwarf varieties can be grown in planters. Trees are hardy and resistant to insects. Established trees should be fertilized and new trees planted in spring. Staking may be necessary since the weight of new foliate on young trees may weigh down branches. Early spring frosts might cause loss of foliage, since these trees branch out early in the season, but this maple will survive.