There are many beautiful Japanese maples trees with variegated leaves. Some grow in a weeping form – mostly those labeled Acer palmatum dissectum. These also have finely dissected, lacy foliage – hence the name. Other Japanese maples are upright growers, but are generally small trees good for a specimen in a small yard, or a centerpiece in a small garden area.
Weeping Japanese Maples
Generally maples in the Acer palmatum dissectum group prefer shade, but can tolerate sun once it becomes acclimated – at least in more Northern climates. Their weeping form makes them ideal as a back of the border plant to form a centerpiece in a relatively large garden. (For a real treat plant a clematis vine at the base and during its bloom season the maple will appear to be flowering.) There are very few variegated dissectum varieties, but here are a few good ones.
- ‘Goshiki shidare’ has deep pale burgundy foliage brushed with pink, white and green. Some of the foliage with reddish overtones also show pink, making this a colorful addition to the yard. The leaf size is smaller than that of most dissectums, which makes it very small indeed. Colors show off best with some shade.
- ‘Toyama Nishiki’ is extremely colorful, with variegations of green, maroon, pink and cream on its lacy leaves. The variegation changes from leaf to leaf. It is a slow growing tree making it excellent as a garden showpiece. It does best with morning sun or shade.
- ‘Baldsmith’ is an especially slow grower, reaching no more than 5′ in ten years. Its exceptionally lacy foliage is orange red in full sun – and this is one of the few dissectums that can easily handle full sun. In shade the leaves are a greenish pink.
- ‘Orangeola’ is at its most colorful when the buds first open, showing themselves as a brownish pink and green. Come summer most of the leaves are deep green, but new shoots keep emerging fully variegated. The new growth ranges in color from orange to red. Summer color tones are bold from orange to green. Then in late summer another flush of new growth shows more red orange with finally an orange finish in fall This tree also enjoys sun.
- ‘Filigree’ doesn’t appear to be variegated at first glance – instead it appears to glow. The foliage is pale green – almost chartreuse with deeper green and gold variegations. This plant is ideal to light up a shadier part of the garden. ‘
- Shu shidare’ is slightly more upright than most dissectum, but left unstaked still presents a good weeping form. The leaves are highlighted in red and yellow and as a bonus, the bark is purple, making this a tree with four season interest.
Upright Japanese Maples
The upright variegated Japanese maples range from short, shrubby ones to some that can reach 20-30 feet high.
- Acer japonicum ‘Autumn Moon’ is a variety of the beautiful ‘Full Moon’ Maple which has leaves reminiscent of peaches and cream until autumn when it develops red tints. This tree gets fairly large – 20′ in height and width, which makes it a great specimen tree or a good tree under which to plan a shade garden.
- Acer palmatum ‘Beni shichihenge’ is smaller, topping out at about 6′ with a shrub-like growth habit. The leaves are variegated in shades of pink, orange, green and bluish green. Some of the 5-7 lobed leaves are contorted, creating an interesting texture.
- Acer palmatum ‘Kagiri nishiki’ grows to 24′ and has bluish green leaves with white margins. In spring the foliage is also splashed with pink.
- Acer palmatum ‘Butterfly’ is a very small tree, reaching no more than 7-8 feet high. Its tiny lobed leaves are splashed with cream, green and pink.
- Acer palmatum ‘Orido nishiki’ is a small tree that may not show its variegation for the first few years – but then it bursts forth with a colorful medley of green, rose and cream. Sometimes called the ‘Floating clouds’ maple it will reach an eventual height of 12-15 feet.
- Acer palmatum ‘Aka shigitatsu sawa’ has foliage in dark reddish-green, pink and white with deeply incised palmate leaves.
- Acer palmatum ‘Beni tsukasa’ is a slender tree that will eventually reach 10-15′ tall. It has yellow-red or peach to pink with green tones in the foliage.
- Acer palmatum ‘Goshiki kotohime’ is unusual in that it is a dwarf, reaching a maximum of two to three feet in height. Even though it is an upright grower it is a natural showstopper as a garden centerpiece. The color is a yellow-green with a white-edged variegation.
- Acer palmatum atropurpureum ‘Higisayama’ is another variegated (cream, pink, and dark green) upright that will reach 18-20 feet at maturity.