This is the straight species rather than a selected colour clone, and that distinction matters. Seed-grown red maples vary from tree to tree, so autumn colour can land anywhere from clear scarlet to orange or a duller bronze, and it is strongest in districts that get genuinely cold nights. If a client has specified uniform colour down an avenue, a grafted cultivar is the safer call.What the species does reliably is handle heavy, damp ground that would drown other deciduous trees, which is why it turns up along drainage lines and in swale plantings. Small red flowers open on bare twigs in late winter, well ahead of the leaves, and growth is slow to moderate.The classic failure is limey or alkaline soil, where leaves go pale yellow between green veins and the tree never thickens up. Check pH before you dig. Bare root stock is lifted dormant in winter and should go straight into prepared ground.Choosing a sizeThis plant is available in 6 sizes, from 250mm up to Bare Root Regular, priced from $43.95 to $149.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to growing maples in Australian gardens.
