There are many fine maples suitable for growing in small- and medium-sized gardens, but you won’t go wrong if you pick a cultivar of Acer palmatum. One of the most popular feature trees for the home garden is A. palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, which has large, dark red leaves and attractive blackish-red bark.

It is an outstanding tree because the leaves retain their striking blood-red color all summer, and then turn a spectacular, fiery crimson in fall. With the graceful shape of its branches (a characteristic common to all palmatum maples), ‘Bloodgood’ also provides a delightful contrast for trees and shrubs with green leaves. Some experts consider it the best of the red-leaved maples, the one by which all others are judged.

There are many other outstanding cultivars of Acer palmatum. Few exceed 30 feet (9 m) at maturity; most grow to a little more than 20 feet (6 m). The coral-bark maple (A. p. ‘Sengo kaku) has coral-pink bark and branches. The leaves turn a pleasant golden color in fall. Other top cultivars to consider include ‘Fireglow’ (similar to ‘Bloodgood’ but with brighter red foliage); ‘Katsura’ (leaves turn from pale-yellow with orange edges in spring to light green in summer to bright yellow and orange in fall); ‘Koto-no-ito’ (pictured left - the name means “harp strings,” referring to the elegant shape of its green leaves); ‘Moonfire’ (a top-notch purple-red, a rival to ‘Bloodgood’); 'Oshio-beni' (bright red foliage that turns an even brighter shade of scarlet in fall); 'Osakazuki' (a famous and still popular cultivar with brownish-red foliage that turns a spectacular crimson in fall); ‘Sherwood Flame’ (handsome, reddish- purple, almost burgundy leaves) and 'Butterfly' (blue-green leaves edged in creamy white).

Also keep an eye out for ‘Shishigashira' (the lion’s mane or lion’s head maple); ‘Trompenburg’ (noted for its vigor and slightly rolled red leaves); and ‘Shojo’ (deep purple-red, slender leaves), all excellent trees. You will also come across ‘Atropurpureum’. This is a name given to a wide variety of seedlings of A. palmatum, all of which have red leaves. The beautiful foliage and graceful shape of ‘Bloodgood’ can provide a confident focal point and striking color contrast. The tree can stand alone as an accent by a main entrance or beside a path or gazebo, or it can be worked into a shrub border where it will happily share space with a wide variety of shrubs. It looks exceptional when planted with a taller, green-leaved tree or with a high cedar hedge behind it. Since the fall color of ‘Bloodgood’ is so outstanding, think about what else will be in bloom at that time and locate this special tree so that it can be seen without clashing or having to compete for attention with other star performers of autumn.

Thriving best in zones 6 to 9, Japanese maples are vulnerable to cold winds in winter and scorching afternoon sun in summer, so it is wise to plant ‘Bloodgood; where it will receive adequate protection from these elements. Light shade is ideal. This can be provided by hedges, fences, trees or the house itself. The tree will require routine maintenance. Prune only when necessary. Take out any dead, diseased or damaged branches in early spring. Make sure the tree is well watered in the first year; the ground should never become parched. Japanese maples thrive in rich, slightly acidic soils that stay reasonably cool and moist without being excessively wet or boggy.   Ideal partners for ‘Bloodgood’ are plants that provide flower or foliage contrast to the tree’s deep

purple-red leaves. An underplanting of blue or yellow hostas, lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) with its sprays of chartreuse flowers, lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina) with its silver foliage, or a blend of green- and purple- leaved coral bells (Heuchera) would all add interesting flower and foliage contrasts. For shrub partners, consider spirea, especially the golden-green foliage and burgundy red flowers of ‘Goldflame’; the golden-leaved form of Euonymus fortunei; and in a sunny, well-protected site, the silver-gray foliage of Brachyglottis greyi (also known as Senecio greyi).

Other good maples:  Acer campestre 'Queen Elizabeth' (hedging maple): This is an excellent tree to use for a screen of pleached trees. If you want to obscure a view that is 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m) above the ground, but are not keen on a super-high hedge and want space underneath for other plants, consider this idea.

Lime and hornbeam trees are the traditional choice for pleaching but A. campestre is a good alternative. Acer circinatum (vine maple): Native to the Pacific Northwest, this grows into a rather gnarled, multi-stemmed tree. Some like it a lot, others find the leaves too coarse for a home garden, but it is perfect for a natural woodland setting, ideally in dappled shade and moist, cool air beside a creek bed. The green leaves often have a little red in them in summer. In fall, they turn shades of red and gold. At maturity, the tree can reach 30 feet (9 m). Acer davidii (snake bark maple): This also goes by the name Pere David's maple but it is most loved for bark which has a snakeskin-like pattern of green with white stripes. It grows best in partial shade in moist soil and it grows 25 to 35 feet (7.5 to 10.5 m). Acer griseum (paperbark maple): When the soft light of the setting sun strikes the peeling, cinnamon-colored bark of this special tree, the sight can be mesmerizing. The fall foliage is also attractive. It reaches 24 to 36 feet (7 to 11 m) at maturity. Acer japonica 'Aconitifolium' (fernleaf maple): An excellent shade tree that grows to about 25 feet (7.5 m) and has distinctive, deeply cut leaves with good fall color. Acer negundo ‘Flamingo’: Another outstanding maple for the small- or medium-sized garden, its new leaves have a flamingo-pink edge to them. The color is even more pronounced in cooler areas where the tree’s Zone 5 hardiness rating gets pushed to the limit. It grows to about 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m). Acer platanoides 'Crimson King': Another good shade tree, this is the most vigorous of the red-leaved Norway maples. It has a pleasant oval shape that slowly turns into a more rounded form as the tree matures. Its dark red-purple, almost maroon leaves offer an excellent contrast to the golden yellows of a robinia or gleditsia, but a whole street full of 'Crimson King' can be overwhelming.

Acer platanoides ‘Drummondii’ (Norway maple): This has become increasingly popular as a feature tree in medium-sized gardens because of its striking green leaves with wide, creamy white margins. It grows to 25 feet (7.5 m) in 20 years, eventually reaching a mature height of about 35 feet (11 m). It does not like hot, dry sites. Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum' (sycamore maple, pictured right): A lovely, slow-growing, lollipop-shaped tree with outstanding shrimp-pink foliage in spring. It is widely used in British gardens: there is a whole grove of them at the famous Powis Castle garden in North Wales. Once the pink leaves have unfolded, they turn a pale green. New leaves appear throughout the summer to decorate the tree with bright patches of pinkish-green. It grows to 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m).

Acer rubrum 'Red Sunset': This has dark, glossy green leaves that turn a spectacular deep orange-red in fall. It grows 45 feet (14 m) tall, which makes it a useful shade or boulevard tree. Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' (golden full moon maple): This has beautiful, tightly clustered, yellow-green leaves that can light up a corner of the garden. It can scorch in direct sunlight, so it is best grown in light shade. It grows to about 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 m).