Japanese Maple trees for containers
Shop our range of the best Japanese maple trees for growing in containers. Japanese acers are small, deciduous trees best known for their elegant, architectural form and stunning autumn foliage colours. Growing them in pots gives you more flexibility to move them around the garden, patio or balcony, perhaps as part of an oriental-themed garden. Many acers have ‘palmatum’ in the name, referring to their deeply lobed, palm-shaped leaves while some varieties are also dissected, meaning the foliage has a light, almost feathery appearance. Japanese Acers are native to the hills and forest fringes of Japan, Korea and Mongolia where they grow in the shade of larger trees on woodland fringes, which makes them more shade-tolerant than other deciduous trees.
They require a sheltered position away from strong northerly winds and frost pockets and will grow on most soils except very dry, waterlogged or alkaline conditions. Partial or dappled shade is required for variegated varieties to prevent the leaves from being scorched by the strong afternoon sun. Purple and red leaved trees require a decent amount of sunlight to develop their rich, dark complexion, whilst green-leaved Acers tolerate full sun but do best with light shade at the hottest part of the day. Plant at the same level as in the original pot (just covering the roots) and make sure the compost stays evenly moist, not sodden. Avoid pruning except to remove any dead, diseased or crossing branches – Japanese acers develop their best form naturally, generally best left to their own devices.