Planting a paperbark maple is one thing you must do to be considered a Serious Gardener. (The other two are gardening after dark by the light of your car headlights, and asking for manure for your birthday.)
But novice gardeners can get in on the fun, too, because the choice paperbark maple (Acer griseum) is surprisingly easy to grow. It wants full sun but can handle light shade, and it’s not fussy about soils.
In fact, here in Portland I see it used everywhere as a street tree, forced to tough it out in many a parched hellstrip—and performing like a champ. True, our plants are spoiled with a milder climate than most, but it should be noted that in summer, it’s dry. We hardly get enough rain to wash all the Meconopsis betonicifolia pollen off the sidewalks—let alone do any real irrigating.
Ferdinand Pax, a German botanist, was the numbskull who named this tree Acer griseum (griseum=“gray”). Please tell me how you can look at this bark and then say, “Hmm… that’s nice, but I notice your leaves appear sort of grayish on the undersides. I’ll call you ‘gray maple.'” (Okay, maybe he didn’t have a specimen like this to look at, but come on, man! Do your homework.)
The bark can actually vary quite a lot, and every tree is one of a kind. It can be relatively smooth and shiny, peeling just enough to catch the late afternoon light.
Or it can look like it was clawed up by a particularly spiteful cat.
Once in a while you’ll find one with a blocky pattern.
Though the shaggy forms are the most striking. This honey-colored beauty almost looks like a river birch. The usual hues are more chestnut- or copper-toned.
Paperbark maple’s pale yellow flowers emerge in the frenzy of spring, when we gardeners have a lot on our plates, and they often get overlooked. Take a moment to study them now.
The leaves come out with the flowers and have a butterscotch tint. As they unfurl, they turn deep green.
They’re so fuzzy!
The leaves look a lot like poison ivy once they expand.
And in the fall, in a good year, they turn the color of sun-dried tomatoes. They turn rather late, after peak leaf-peeper season, and barring a hard freeze and strong winds to shake them loose, the leaves hold a long time.
But eventually they drop, and—Ta da! A clear shot of that fabulous bark once again.
What does your paperbark maple look like? You have planted one, right?
Haha! Numbskull is right!!! That name and the myopic view of the namer has always left me wondering… Beautiful photos of one of my fave trees. And no – haven’t planted one yet, because I don’t have room. But in my next home, I most definitely will! 🙂
Anna, I’m thinking he probably only had a dried out old herbarium specimen to work with, but you gotta think there were accounts of the tree by the people who HAD seen it (and brought the samples back)!
A. griseum- check
Car headlights- mmm, no. But, sodium vapor streetlight, augmented by actual worn-on-my-head headlight should be acceptable, yes?
Asked for manure as gift for landmark event- yes.
Good?
Paul, Oh, most definitely! I wouldn’t have questioned your credentials as a true plant geek.
Hello:
Were are those specimen trees that were growing in a cemetery?
Tony A.
Those are at Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Thank you.
Hi Amy, I live in Michigan just north of Detroit. I have a Paper Bark Maple that is approx. 15 years old, 18 feet tall. We need to have it removed, but would like to see it resold and replanted.. I don’t know where to look or who to contact to do this, any ideas?
Hi Joanne, Your best bet would be to contact a large nursery near you, preferably one that also has a landscaping division, and send them a photo of the tree. You’ll probably have a hard time finding someone to buy it, though, I have to say. It would have to be specimen quality and easy to get to with heavy equipment. How thick is the trunk? Once a tree gets bigger than 4-inch caliper (diameter of the trunk at 12 inches from the ground), you’re talking a HUGE rootball and it’s incredibly heavy. It would have to be a really amazing tree for a company to be able to justify sending a crew and equipment out to dig just one tree. But it doesn’t hurt to ask around. Good luck!
I was told mine was planted too deep. It is at least 15 years old, what should I do?
Hi Kathleen, Planting too deep is a very common problem, and often the damage doesn’t show up for many years. Tree roots don’t just need water, they need air, too, so you need to carefully excavate that extra soil away. You should be able to see the “root flare” – where the trunk widens as it meets the ground and the roots begin to branch out. On maples, you may even see the tops of some of the main roots at ground level, because they are surface-rooting trees. After you clear the excess soil away, cover the root zone with a coarse bark or wood chip mulch -a 3 or 4 inch layer, taking care to keep the mulch from contacting the trunk directly. If you have any doubts, you can always have a certified arborist check it out, which isn’t a bad idea with such a special tree. Good luck!
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Just purchased two for my patio. How far from the patio/small border wall should I plant these? I’m concerned about root spread, but I would like some shade when mature. Thanks for your feedback.
Well, it is a maple, so the roots are pretty shallow and wide-spreading. Also it will be a long, long time before you get any appreciable shade.
I planted a rather large potted specimen last fall, now whilst all other trees in the garden started to come into leaf Griseum is still dormant (March 31 in Italy).
I read that it is not an early bird so I hope I should not be worried, considering that it was also rather pricey.
Thank you
I live in New Hampshire, USA. About 100km north of Boston. It has been an exceptionally cool and wet spring.
I planted two paperbark maples last summer. They looked beautiful then and thought the autumn but it is now 12 May and I don’t see a hint of buds or leaves. I am very nervous as these were expensive trees and I planted them with the very best of care.
Help!
Don’t get discouraged, my griseum just started coming into leaf and it’s already May 14 in Central Italy {we’re having a particularly cold spring} . I was also very anxious until two weeks ago. It looks like they are very tardy trees. I don’t know if the transplant exacerbates this tardiness. Hopefully they will be the last to shed their foliage.
Thank you for your optimistic comments. I am still waiting and watching. I am encouraged that I am not alone in waiting for the Spring bloom from our Paperbark Maples!
Follow up and update. Sorry I didn’t follow up sooner. After writing my original post I thumbnail scratched the bark in several places and was delighted to see bright green growing underneath. I waited another 2-3 weeks and sure enough, early leaf buds started to form. So like so many things in gardening, I needed to be a bit more patient. Two years later and both paper and maples are doing just fine. Turns out the trees are a bit slow getting started in the spring. I live in sea last New Hampshire so winter can linger into early May. Alls well that ends well!
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Will these hold up to wind? What about clay soil
Absolutely agree with you. I have 300+ plants and shrubs in my landscape, many very beautiful. However, I have two paperboard maples flanking the end of my driveway that are the stars. Unique bark and trunk color and the foliage changes color 3-4 times per year. Slow growers and pricey. Shop around to find smaller caliper trunks to keep the cost down. Dig and plant the stars in hundred dollar holes and mulch well and keep moist for the first couple of years. You will be proud and happy with the fruits of your labor.
Thanks, can’t wait to plant it. Hope it does okay over here in Ireland
It’s really a gorgeous tree. Hoping you can give it lots of sun. Good luck to you!