I prefer not to maintain favorites among plant species. In landscaping, it is always best to use species which are best suited to each situation. There are always so many factors to take into consideration. However, no matter how hard I try, I still enjoy maples more than other trees. Fortunately, I can justify my preference for them. They are very useful, but rarely planted trees. They are also durable, very clean and require minimal maintenance.
Before I go any farther, I want to clarify the difference between maple trees and the more commonly known Japanese maples, which ironically are among my least favorite trees. The main reason I don’t like them is that they have been very trendy and are so commonly planted where they just don’t belong. In the wild, Japanese maples are understory trees. This means that they grow in part shade under the canopies of larger trees. Few varieties attain sufficient height to be classified as shade trees. In the landscape, some varieties can grow in full sun, but are sensitive to reflected glare, such as from walls or pavement. They may also be damaged by any combination of heat, wind or dry air.
Japanese maples are best used as ornamental ‘specimen’ trees rather than shade trees. There are many cultivars (varieties) of Japanese maples, each exhibiting distinctive branch structure and foliar texture. Some are upright while some are pendulous or mounding. Foliage color may range between green, bronze and redish purple. Foliar texture may be broad leafed or lacy (lace leaf Japanese maples are more susceptible to leaf burn.) At least one cultivar is variegated. Another exhibits bright red stems when it is bare in winter. Although these qualities are useless from a distance, they are very useful where they may be seen closely, such as in an atrium or small enclosed garden or near a patio.
Maples which are good shade trees are not as variable as Japanese maples, and not nearly as commonly planted. Some were actually trendy in the 1950’s and have possible contributed to their reputation of breaking sidewalks. Incidentally, the currently trendy London plane (sycamore) trees and Chinese pistache trees which are replacing maples will be breaking sidewalks within 20 years, rather than the 40 or more years it has taken maples to do it. Maples also do not spread disease like sycamores or drop messy fruit like Chinese pistache.
Maples are very clean, dropping their foliage completely in the autumn. Most exhibit excellent autumn color. They grow well in endemic soil and enjoy the mild summers of the Santa Clara Valley. They prefer thorough irrigation, like most landscaped areas normally receive. The varieties of red maple are particularly useful as street trees because they don’t get too large and their roots are well behaved. Norway maples may be somewhat large as street trees, and their roots may eventually be a problem; but it will be half a century or so before such problems arise. Sugar maples and their cultivars show the best autumn color. If looking for these trees in nurseries, don’t be confused by red maples with green foliage in summer (it turns red in autumn), or Norway maples with red foliage; and most importantly, don’t allow anyone to sell you a Japanese maple with red foliage if you actually want a red maple.
Two species of maple which require caution are the bigleaf maple and the silver maple. The bigleaf maple is actually native so grows well here; almost too well. Voracious surface roots can be a problem. It is too big for most gardens, growing very rapidly when young. Foliage of the bigleaf maple often fades prior to autumn. The silver maple produces a pleasantly light canopy of delicate foliage. However, it grows very fast and large. Surface roots of mature trees mound at the base of the trunk. Silver maples are often structurally unstable. Unlike most maples, these two species do not produce good autumn color.
Although there are many other types of maples, many are difficult to find. They are worth researching and, if selected for their distinctive qualities, also worth finding.
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