Stunning Fall Maples
The brilliant red colors of fall maples make them a popular tree
The colors of fall have made their way to the south, where the stunning fall maples are in full color. These bright reds are show stoppers in the early morning sunlight.
Fall tree color is lighting up the southern states just as it brightened the hillsides in the north a few weeks ago. One of the most beautiful fall trees are the stunning fall maples. These magnificent deciduous trees have many varieties that grow across the continent, from Canada to Texas. The splendor of the maples is reflected in the fact that the maple leaf is on the Canadian flag as well as being the state tree of five American states. There are many different maples, but cultivar wise the colorful maples fall into two groups. The Sugar maples (Acer saccarum), and the Red maples (Acer rubra) comprise most of the common cultivars for brilliant color.
Both the Red Maples and the Sugar Maples are native trees to the North American continent where they can be found growing in the frigid zone 3 winters as well as in the steamy zone 7/8 summers. The enormous range of the trees in general though, does not mean that the same tree can survive out of its’ natural range. Those trees that are bred or are native in the north, will not generally transplant well to the south, and vice versa. Subtle variations in the maple subsets allow them to adapt to the local regional climate and make them less adaptive to other regions, so careful research should be done on the cultivar for maximum success.
The red maples are possibly the most popular and include many cultivars that vary from rust-red to bright scarlet reds. Popular cultivars for the bright reds include Autumn Glory, October Glory and Red Sunset which are all Red Maples; Bonfire and Legacy from the Sugar maples. Watch the tags carefully when you are buying a ‘red’ maple for color. It is not uncommon for the trade to sell Red maples (A. rubra) which comes in both red and yellow fall colors, as ‘red maples’ misleading you into thinking the name refers to the fall color rather than the species name.
Norway maples (Acer platanoides) are also popular and give predominantly bright yellow colors, but are considered an invasive species in many areas. The main problem seems to be that the tree is very adaptable and thus survives in full sun as well as shade, swamp and dry land. It has an extensive root system but the biggest problem is the dense shade that it creates. In eastern forests is will reduce the habitable areas that are available for many of the native plants requiring dappled shade.
