Ornamental trees are generally chosen for their ability to liven a room up, presenting greens and a variety of flowers or none at all. With a wide variety of ornamentals to choose from, the most important considerations are colour and shape. The Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum, makes an excellent choice for temperate areas. For several years, they will grow well indoors without pruning. Since the tree naturally grows between 1-8 meters, it can be either transplanted outdoors or trained as bonsai.

Varieties
The most popular variety of ornamental trees is the Japanese Maple ’Bloodgood’. It sports a wide crown with red-black twigs and stems. The leaves are generally a dark red, though the richness of colour is variable when grown from seed. They will, at a mature height of 8 meters, fit in well with small yards.

’Butterfly’ makes a great choice for those desiring a permanent indoor tree. Their mature height is 2-4 meters. They feature grey-green leaves, and during the Spring these are often edged in pink. Japanese maples are prized for their showy fall foliage, and this one features primarily dark red leaves.

With tiny 1 leaves of orange, trimmed in yellow, ’Katsura’ is one of the more striking ornamental trees on the market. It can reach a maximum height of 4.5 meters, though with pruning it can be kept to under one meter.

Care for the Japanese Maple
Part of the maple’s attraction is the ease of care. With proper pruning, size can be reduced considerably, or it can be transplanted outdoors in temperate climates. Most varieties do well with dappled shade, though the ’Katsura’ will tolerate more than others. Too much direct sunlight during the heat of summer can scorch leaves. All container plants should have roots inspected and new soil added each growing season.