Japenese maples (Acer palmatum) originated in Asia and are now widely cultivated. There are over 1,000 different varieties, and some are more cold-hardy than others. Most Japanese maples are suitable for zones 5 – 8 and overwinter well in these climates. Growing dwarf cultivars in containers allows you to stash your trees in a protected area in colder climates, keeping them going strong for many years.
Japanese maples love a partially shaded location, ideally with filtered sunlight throughout the day. These lovely trees also need moist, acidic, well-drained soil. When grown in favorable conditions, they are low-maintenance and easy to grow, offering spectacular autumn shows. These are fairly slow-growing trees that rarely exceed 25 feet tall.
They are highly ornamental and would make a valued addition to your landscape as an understory tree for your woodland garden or zen garden. Use one as a mid-sized shrub to grow in the shadow of a larger shade tree. If you’re landscaping in a small or have a patio garden, grow a Japanese maple in a large container. The smallest varieties of Japanese maples are also well-suited for bonsai!
Let’s now take a closer look at 19 fantastic varieties of cold-hardy Japanese maples well-suited for cooler and moderate climates.
‘Beni Kawa’
This variety grows slowly and could take years to reach its full height.
‘Beni-kawa’ is a small variety with a shrubby, upright form. It is slow growing and will take many years to reach its full height of 12 to 15 feet. This is a shade-loving tree and its leaves may scorch in full sun, particularly in warmer climates. This lovely Japanese maple cultivar is also quite cold-hardy and is a good option to try if you live in zone 4.
‘Beni-kawa’ has attractive, bright green, star-like leaves. In the fall, the leaves become an attractive glowing golden-yellow color. However, its showy red bark sets ‘Beni-kawa’ apart from others. This little maple has excellent winter garden appeal, providing your landscape with four seasons of showy value.
‘Beni Komachi’
It is rather small, reaching only up to 15 feet tall.
‘Beni Komachi’ is a brightly-colored Japanese maple cultivar is cold-hardy and sure to add some sparkle to your garden. This is a slow-growing small tree that reaches only 15 feet tall at full maturity. Grow it as an accent shrub or small tree wherever you need some year-round color and structure.
‘Beni Komachi’ has bronze-green foliage. The leaves are deeply cut and fingerlike with toothed edges, giving it plenty of texture. In the fall, the leaves change to brilliant shades of scarlet red. In the winter, enjoy its red stems for year-round color.
‘Beni Tsukasa’
They have colorful leaves, changing to different shades with the seasons.
‘Beni Tsukasa’ is a small variety with exceptionally colorful leaves. Each season brings new color shades to the palmate leaves, each with between five and seven star-like lobes. The first spring emergence of foliage is salmon pink and orange for a vibrant welcome to warmer weather. By summer, these leaves mature to a lush green with a few pink highlights. Fall foliage then peaks with a brilliant red display.
‘Beni Tsukasa’ is a welcome addition to a smaller garden space or large, sturdy container. This variety has an appealing rounded form and stays less than 12 feet tall. Keep it in a partially shaded location with rich, moist soil for the best color and vibrant health.
‘Bloodgood’
They are small to medium-sized with distinct irregular crowns and spreading branches.
The ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple cultivar is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree that is cold-hardy to zone 5. It has an irregularly rounded crown with many spreading branches. Younger trees are compact and shrub-like. They slowly mature to their full size of 20 feet, occasionally taller, for use as an understory tree in a partially shaded plot.
‘Bloodgood’ has palmate leaves, each typically with five to seven broadly pointed and coarsely toothed lobes. The summer leaf color is dark green tinged with burgundy, with the best color on shade-grown specimens. Its dazzling fall foliage color is show-stopping scarlet red, and your whole tree will appear to be ablaze with a cascade of brilliant flame.
‘Burgundy Lace’
They are suitable for a shaded garden.
‘Burgundy Lace’ is a smaller Japanese maple cultivar with a rounded, canopy-like crown that is cold-hardy to -10°F. This attractive tree is an excellent choice for a shade garden or semi-shaded plot with rich, moist, well-drained soil.
These beautiful trees have pale gray bark, reddish stems, and burgundy-tinted leaves. The leaves are finely cut and coarsely toothed, giving them a somewhat delicate appearance. During fall foliage season, enjoy the burgundy red splash of color, and these maples light up your landscape with their rich fall hues.
‘Crimson Queen’
They are known for their weeping form and shrub-like appearance.
This Japanese maple cultivar is a cold-hardy compact option complement any small space. ‘Crimson Queen’ is a low-growing, shrubby tree with a graceful, weeping form. Because of its compact nature, it’s the perfect tree for a container, patio garden, or woodland shade garden.
‘Crimson Queen’ has very finely cut leaves with distinctive coarse teeth. At a distance, the leaves have a delicate, lacy appearance with an excellent, cascading texture. Throughout the spring and summer, these frilly leaves maintain a lush burgundy color, turning mixed shades of yellow, orange, and scarlet red in the autumn.
‘Emperor 1’
They thrive in moist, rich soil in partially shaded areas.
‘Emperor 1’ is a deciduous maple that loves rich, moist soil in a partially shaded location. Reaching 10 to 15 feet at maturity, this small cultivar is an ideal understory or accent tree along a shaded edge. While not guaranteed to survive colder winter climates, this cultivar is quite cold hardy and may be worth trying in zone 4.
This Japanese maple variety has star-like palmate leaves, each with five to seven lobes. These bronze-tinted green leaves turn from orange to scarlet red in the fall for a fantastic autumn display. ‘Emperor 1’ is both cold tolerant and heat tolerant, making this a very versatile cultivar wherever you need a small shade-loving tree.
‘Full Moon Maple’
They have broad sunburst-shaped leaves that change color during the fall.
The full moon maple is a variety of maple native to Japan. These trees are very similar in habit and appearance to the other Japanese maples (Acer japonicum). The full moon maple grows up to 20 feet tall and has an appealing rounded crown.
The full moon maple makes an excellent understory tree because it prefers a site protected from direct afternoon sunlight. This compact variety has broadly palmate leaves and a densely bushy form. In the fall, its sunburst-shaped leaves turn mottled yellow, orange, and red with bright red stems.
‘Inaba Shidare’
They are best grown in patio gardens or other small spaces.
‘Inaba Shidare’ is truly a lovely specimen for your cold-hardy Japanese maple collection. This compact option tops out at 10 feet or less, so it’s a good choice for growing in a container, patio garden, or other small space. These elegant trees look their best in a partially shaded location with rich, moist, well-drained soil.
When you see an ‘Inaba Shidare’ growing in a landscape, you’ll probably pause to have a closer look. This maple has a gracefully weeping profile with a gently rounded crown. The delicate finger-like leaves are deeply cut and broadly toothed, giving them a coarse, feathery appearance. During the growing season, the leaves color can range from green with reddish tips to uniformly burgundy-red. In the fall, the leaf color intensifies to blazing scarlet for a dramatic focal point in your garden.
‘Katsura’
This shrub-like variety can reach a height of 10 to 12 feet.
The ‘Katsura’ Japanese maple is sure to please. This small variety is slow growing and eventually reaches a maximum height of 10 to 12 feet. This dense tree displays a very shrub-like form with a broadly rounded crown. These are slow-growing trees, and younger specimens have a more upright form, broadening as they mature.
‘Katsura’ has beautiful golden-orange leaves as they emerge in the spring. As the growing season progresses, the leaves may become more green but still retain their golden tendencies, especially in heavier shade. The fall color changes to a glowing orange hue, lighting up your landscape in the autumn sunlight.
‘Moonrise’
They are fairly small and have bight colored foliage.
‘Moonrise’ is a gorgeous small variety with top-rate foliage. The broadly palmate leaves typically have seven to nine radiating star-like fingers with toothed edges. Some of the leaves have unique color saturation with a central wash of orange or red coloration in the center of the palm surrounded by golden yellow to green fingers. The autumn color leads to an entirely scarlet red display for superior showy fall foliage.
‘Moonrise’ is a small shrub with a broadly spreading crown. You’ll want to give this brightly colored tree a prominent location where it can be easily seen and appreciated. Allow it a partially shaded location with plenty of room to be appreciated on all sides. Moist, rich, well-drained soil will help your tree look its best year after year.
‘Orangeola’
This dwarf cultivar is perfect for patios, porches or other small areas.
‘Orangeola’ is a dwarf cultivar perfect for a small space such as a patio, porch, or sturdy container. Choose a plot with rich, moist soil and if you decide to grow your ‘Orangeola’ in a container, make sure your chosen container has good drainage and water it regularly to keep the soil moist.
This extremely showy Japanese maple variety is prized for its spectacular foliage and cold-hardy growth. The palmate leaves are very deeply lobed, to the point that each of the leaf lobes appears almost like an individual, dramatically cut leaf. This small cultivar has sloping, pendulous branches rull of bronze-red foliage that turns irresistible shades of red in the fall.
‘Red Dragon’
This dwarf tree grows up to 6 to 8 feet tall, making it ideal for small areas.
Despite its big name, the ‘Red Dragon’ Japanese maple is a dwarf cultivar that is big on colorful attributes. This dwarf reaches only six to eight feet at maturity, making it a good option for a small garden, as an understory tree, or a container planting. This cultivar performs best in rich, moist, well-drained soil. It grows well in partial shade and also tolerates full sun, even in warmer climates.
If you’re looking for a compact variety plenty of color, look no further than a ‘Red Dragon’ Japanese maple. The frilly palmate leaves typically have seven narrow, dramatically toothed lobes. Its compact, weeping form displays red-tinted foliage from spring through late summer, finally changing to vibrant red in late fall. Plant it in a prominent location so you can appreciate its beauty year-round.
‘Sango Kaku’
Also know as the Coral Bark, these tend to grow taller, reaching 20 to 35 feet.
Here’s a true cold-hardy, four-season Japanese maple variety that you won’t want to miss! The ‘Sango-kaku’ cultivar, also known as the coral bark Japanese maple, is named for it’s scarlet red trunk and stems. This is a taller variety of Japanese maples suitable as a small shade tree or sunny location anywhere you want to enjoy a constant splash of color.
‘Sango kaku’ typically has five-lobed star-like leaves that range from deep green to yellow-green with red-orange margins. In the fall, this showy variety is ablaze with bright mottled orange coloration. As a larger cultivar, give your ‘Sango kaku’ plenty of space in a central location where it will be the center of attention.
‘Seiryu’
They can tolerate the sun in cool weather conditions but prefer shaded to semi-shaded areas.
With a name that means “green dragon” in Japanese, this is a small cultivar with an upright growth habit with a vase-shaped crown. ‘Seriyu’ is a beautiful specimen tree for a smaller landscape or planted along a semi-shaded woodland edge. In cooler climates, it tolerates full sun, but in hot climates with intense midday sun, it is best used in a partially shaded location to help prevent leaf scorch.
‘Seriyu’ has finely cut, almost feathery leaves that ripple in the breeze. When the leaves emerge in the spring, they are bright green with reddish tips. They mature to a uniform medium green for the summer months. Finally, in the autumn, they become golden orange to various shades of bright red and bronze. You’ll get three seasons of widely varying leaf color from this attractive little tree.
‘Shaina’
It has a bushy, shrub-like appearance with dense foliage best suited for small gardens.
‘Shaina’ is a slow growing dwarf cultivar suitable for the smallest garden plots and an excellent specimen for your container garden. However you decide to use it, you’ll want this tree where you can see it and appreciate it in your landscape. A partially shaded plot will yield the best color.
This cultivar has a bushy, shrub-like habit with densely clumped foliage. Its appealing, rounded form makes it a versatile addition to the landscape. You won’t want to miss ‘Shaina’s vibrant bronze-red foliage, especially as it changes to a glowing scarlet red in late fall.
‘Sumi-Nagashi’
One of the taller slow-growing cultivars, they can reach a height of up to 20 feet tall.
‘Sumi-Nagashi’ is a taller Japanese maple cultivar with an upright habit. Use this variety as a small shade tree in a location where it receives partial shade itself. This is a slow-growing tree that will ultimately reach up to 20 feet tall. Younger trees have a more vase-like form, maturing to a broader canopy.
The palmate leaves have deeply divided and toothed lobes, each with broader centers and tapered points at each end. The foliage emerges in the spring with a purple hue, maturing to maroon-red throughout the summer. At the peak of fall color, ‘Sumi-Nagashi’ becomes vibrant red-orange hues for a spectacular end-of-year display.
‘Tamukeyama’
They have thin, densely packed foliage that look great in small spaces.
‘Tamukeyama’ is a dwarf cultivar with a bushy, rounded habit. At full maturity, this little tree reaches only six to eight feet tall. Younger specimens are more rounded, while older specimens begin to look like tiny trees with graceful semi-weeping branches. ‘Tamukeyama’ is the perfect choice for a patio garden or other small garden plot.
The thin, deeply lobed leaves are densely packed and cascade over each other for a very full and pleasing textured effect. During the active growing season, the foliage maintains a warm greenish-bronze to deep bronze color. ‘Tamukeyama’s fall foliage changes to bright red in the fall, demanding plenty of attention.
‘Trompenburg’
This tree can reach a height of 15 to 25 feet tall.
‘Trompenburg’ is a small, slow-growing deciduous tree that eventually reaches a height of 15 to 25 feet at full maturity. Use it as a small shade tree with an upright, rounded crown. Its smooth, gray bark is attractive during all seasons, and the dense branches provide perching opportunities for winter birds.
You’ll most appreciate ‘Trompenburg’ during the growing season. This beautiful tree sports showy foliage from spring through fall. The first leaves of the year emerge purplish-red, maturing to a deeper maroon through the summer. In fall, its striking crimson foliage practically glows in the sun. This cultivar has deeply cut palmate leaves, each typically with seven or nine finger-like lobes that curl slightly downward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soil moisture: Select a site with consistent soil moisture. If you are growing your tree in a container, water it regularly to help keep the roots moist, but not wet.
Soil quality: These trees perform best in organically rich soil. Add some compost at the time of planting to boost soil nutrition.
Soil drainage: Well-drained soil is important. Don’t let your trees stand in wet, soggy soil or the roots will rot. Container-grown plants need excellent drainage as well.
Sunlight: Most Japanese maples look best in a location with some protection from intense midday sun.
Pruning: While pruning isn’t generally necessary, if your tree needs pruning, it should be done while the tree is dormant in the late fall or winter.
Yes! Japanese maples make excellent bonsai specimens. Choose a dwarf variety with a compact form for best results. Be sure to water regularly to keep the roots moist in small bonsai planters.
To prepare your Japanese maple for freezing winters, apply a thick layer of mulch over the roots. If growing in a container, leave your tree outdoors until it goes dormant, then move it. You can keep a dormant Japanese maple in an unheated garage or other cool, protected area. Bring it back out again when the buds begin to open but cover it or move it back in during any hard spring frosts.
Consult the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map. If you live in Zone 4, it’s possible to keep a Japanese maple alive during mild winters in your area, but not guaranteed. Take steps to protect your tree from the cold, including growing your trees in a more protected site, and definitely bring in container-grown plants for the winter. Even the most cold-tolerant Japanese maples may not survive outdoors in zone 4. If you live in a climate colder than zone 4, you will definitely need to grow these trees in pots so you can protect them indoors for the winter months.
