PLANT FINDER

Other Names:  Hard Maple, Rock Maple

Description:

A compact, oval growth habit, with extraordinary red-orange early fall colors; shapely and neat, a fine specimen tree for the smaller landscape; adaptable to soils, but dislikes air pollution and compaction; adapted to heat and humidity

Ornamental Features

Flashfire Sugar Maple is primarily valued in the landscape for its decidedly oval form. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The lobed leaves turn outstanding shades of yellow, orange and scarlet in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Flashfire Sugar Maple is a dense deciduous tree with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Flashfire Sugar Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Hedges/Screening

Planting & Growing

Flashfire Sugar Maple will grow to be about 45 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 40 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.