Shop All Japanese Maples - Upright

Acer palmatum ‘Katsura’ has spring color that has to be seen to be believed and is one of the first trees to leaf out in spring. Bright yellow when emerging and then turning chartreuse before turning green for summer. This small to medium tree will be vase shaped when young becoming more round with age. In fall it begins its show all over again with brilliant oranges and yellows. 10 Year size:  Height:  10-12  Feet    Width:  6-8  Feet

Acer palmatum 'Ghost Dancer' emerges almost solid white with red tips in early spring then the green veins develop spreading through the leaf giving it color. By summer it is almost totally green. Fall color is a nice mix of yellow and red.  While the name and the reticulated foliage both link this to the others in the ghost series, this is not a Buchholz introduction. 10 year size:   Height: 7-9 Feet   Width: 5-7 Feet Spring color: White and Yellow Summer Color: Green and White Fall Color: Yellow Sun Tolerance: Partial Planting: Elevated, Well Drained Soil

Acer palmatum 'Arakawa' translates to rough bark and that perfectly describes the most outstanding feature of this interesting cultivar. It takes 3-5 years for the bark to begin to develop its texture, but once it begins to develop it soon becomes an amazing site. The bark on older plants looks alot like that of a pine tree. The leaves of the new growth emerge with a yellow tint turning green as summer arrives before turning beautiful tones of red, orange or yellow in fall. 'Arakawa'  works well for bonsai.10 Year size Height:  12-14  Feet    Width:  10-12  Feet

The leaves of 'Elegans' emerge in spring a soft green with gold and pink hues and a slight pubescence. In summer leaves change to a pleasant medium green before putting on a real show in fall that ranges between solid yellow or yellow with orange and red. The very graceful habit of this small tree is decidedly upright when young but becomes much rounder and wide with age.  'Elegans' does best in partial shade especially in hotter climates. 10 Year Size:  Height: 8-10 Feet Width: 6-8 Feet Spring Color: Green Summer Color: Green Fall Color: Yellow Sun Tolerance: Partial Planting: Elevated, Well Drained Soil

'Moonfire' is one of our favorites. It seems to grow faster and hold it's color better in shade than other red leaf cultivars. 'Moonfire' also tolerates full sun and maintains it's color into the hot Georgia summer as well as any upright variety we grow. The foliage of 'Moonfire' comes out dark purple in spring but tends to turn more red as summer nears, except in more shady locations where the color remains more purple. It's leaves are slightly translucent and tend to glow when the sun lights them from behind. Fall color is bright fiery red. 'Moonfire' was discovered by Dick Wolff in 1974. 10 Year Size: Height:  12-14 feet    Width: 10-12 feet Spring Color: Burgundy Summer Color: Burgundy Fall Color: Red Sun Tolerance: Full Planting: Elevated, Well Drained Soil

Acer palmatum ‘Summer Gold’ has arguably the best yellow spring color of any Japanese maple. ‘Summer Gold’ leafs out yellow in the spring and only gets more golden throughout the spring and summer. Fall color is orange to red. ‘Summer Gold’ is very heat tolerant and can even handle full sun in most climates. ‘Summer Gold’ will not get very large, as it will develop into a short, bushy tree. 10 Year Size: Height: 6-8 feet Width: 4-6 feet

Acer palmatum ‘Beni otake’ translates to red bamboo, which aptly describes this maple from the linearilobum group. The leaves are a little wider and sturdier than other linearilobum maples. Foliage emerges medium red in spring holding its color well into summer before first bronzing and then turning green. The interesting thing is, as you watch this tree from spring until summer the colors seem to be slightly different, displaying beautiful reds, purples and pinks from week to week, day to day or even hour to hour. In late summer new red growth pushes out of the top of the tree that is now green, giving it a very interesting appearance. Fall color is a really nice crimson. Growing faster than most linearilobum types, ‘Beni otake’ becomes a beautiful vase shaped tree eventually becoming slightly more round topped with age. The distinctive look and it's ability to tolerate full sun even in warmer climates make 'Beni otake' a perennial favorite. 10 year size:  Height: 10-12 Feet   Width: 6-8 Feet Spring Color: Red Summer Color: Burgundy Fall Color: Crimson Sun Tolerance: Full Planting: Elevated, Well Drained

Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' is the only Upright Growing Lace Leaf Japanese Maple Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' is known as the only upright growing lace leaf. While there are other lace leaf Japanese maples that have some upright growing habits such as 'Lionheart' and 'English Lace', there is nothing quite like 'Seiryu'. 'Seiryu' grows with a complete upright habit that grows tall just like more common upright varieties such as 'Bloodgood' or 'Red Emperor'. 'Seiryu' even grows to be one of the bigger Japanese maple varieties that we grow, making it a great specimen tree that can be the centerpiece of any garden. Its claim to fame is that Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' is considered the only upright dissectum. This is technically correct but the dissected leaf is the only similarity between 'Seiryu' and other dissectums. Actually the leaves are so much smaller, that even the leaves do not have the appearance of other dissectums. That being said, here at Maple Ridge Nurseries we love the plant we affectionately call the "weed" because it is so easy to grow. Seiryu is a fast growing  small tree that is mostly vase shaped when young growing wider and much rounder with age. The foliage appears green in spring with a slight red or pink tinge to the margins of  each leaf.  These margins quickly fade away leaving a very attractive medium green leaf for summer. Sometimes in late summer the colorful margins reappear, but this time a little more orange. Most literature describes the fall color as gold or yellow but I have never seen this except in photos from other parts of the world. In our climate the first cold air may give the tree an orange or red appearance but the leaves will always end up burgundy before dropping. What is the 10 Year Size of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Height: 14-16 feet Width: 10-12 feet What is the Spring Color of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Green What is the Summer Color of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Green What is the Fall Color of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Red What is the Leaf Shape of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Small Lace Leaf What is the Sun Tolerance of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Full Sun What Growing Zones are suitable for Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Zones 5-9 What is the Shape of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Upright Japanese Maple What is the Growth Rate of Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'? Fast Growing Upright Japanese Maple How should Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' be planted? Elevated in Well Drained Soil Our 1 Gallon and 3 Gallon sizes are available for shipping and in store pickup. Our larger sizes (7 Gallon and bigger) are only available for in store pickup.

Acer palmatum ‘Celebration’ is a Japanese maple with reticulated variegation. ‘Celebration’ may have the brightest pink color of any of the reticulated varieties. The bright pink leaves are contrasted by dark red veins. ‘Celebration’ will fade somewhat in the summer to a greenish color, but the reticulation still holds strong. There is often also a second push of new growth in the summer that displays the wonderful spring colors yet again on top of the more mature summer foliage. Fall color is red. 10 Year Size: Height: 8-10 feet Width: 4-6 feet

Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ the Famous Lions Head Japanese Maple with Unique Crinkled Leaves Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira' is one of the most unique varieties of Japanese maples in existence. 'Shishigashira' has small leaves with crinkled up edges that gives this Japanese maple one of the strangest appearances you will see on a tree. These small strange leaves are light green early in spring and turn a darker green for the rest of the spring and summer. In the fall the cool weather will change the leaves of 'Shishigashira' from green to a brilliant dark orange. For such small and uniquely shaped leaves 'Shishigashira' still puts on quite a show in the fall. Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira' is a dwarf Japanese maple that will only reach about 6 feet tall over 10 years. It will keep growing and can reach larger heights over decades, but it is a slow growing dwarf Japanese maple that will take some time to achieve any real height. 'Shishigashira' grows very upright and pretty narrow. The branches of 'Shishigashira' are very stiff and hard to manipulate. The stiffness of the branches compliments the unique crinkle shape of the leaves and gives the appearance of a bonsai in the garden. 'Shishigashira' is the perfect tree for Japanese gardens and a near must have for any smaller landscape. 'Shishigashira' grows well in a variety of climates. It can be grown in zones 5 through 9 and can handle full sun in all but the hottest areas. In warmer climates it is best to give 'Shishigashira' a break from the hot afternoon sun. These trees don't require a lot of sun though and can be grown in shade in pretty much all climates. Shishigashira actually refers to two different old cultivars that are both considered "lions' head" maples, 'Meijishi' and 'O jishi'. 'Meijishi' is known as the female lion and 'O jishi' is known as the male lion. These names come from the mythical male and female lions of a Japanese drama that dates back over 900 years. The name Shishigashira means lions head and comes from the costume worn while doing the lion dance to exorcise evil spirits. While this term can be used to describe either cultivar it is generally used to describe 'Meijishi' and the plant generally labeled 'Shishigashira' in nurseries is almost always 'Meijishi'. While both plants have crinkled tightly congested foliage arranged along stiff upright branches, 'Meijishi's foliage is a little more tightly congested and darker green than that of 'O jishi'. 'Meijishi' is also faster growing. 'O jishi' has bright red fall color while 'Meijishi' has fall color that is more orange.  Either plant is excellent for containers and make wonderful patio trees. What is the 10 Year Size of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Height: 6-8 feet Width: 3-4 feet What is the Spring Color of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Green What is the Summer Color of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Green What is the Fall Color of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Orange What is the Leaf Shape of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Crinkle Leaf What is the Sun Tolerance of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Partial Sun What Growing Zones are suitable for Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Zones 5-9 What is the Shape of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Upright Japanese Maple What is the Growth Rate of Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'? Slow Growing Dwarf Japanese Maple How should Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira' be planted? Elevated in Well Drained Soil

'Nuresagi' also known as, the 'Wet Heron' maple is very fast growing especially when young. Younger plants tend to put on vertical growth faster than most varieties we grow, sometimes running out 3-4 feet upright leaders in one season. Of course it does not grow at this rate every year. The long leaders will spend some time filling out before sending out more vertical growth. Very nice white striations also appear on the bark of older wood. The name 'Wet Heron' comes from the blue cast created by silver pubescence covering the deep red leaves when they emerge in spring. This reminded the Japanese of  the 19th century, of a wet heron. 'Nuresagi' was listed in nursery catalogs as early as 1882.  10 Year size: Height:  18-20 Feet   Width:  6-8 Feet Spring Color: Burgundy Summer Color: Burgundy Fall Color: Red Sun Tolerance: Full Planting: Elevated, Well Drained Soil Our 1 Gallon and 3 Gallon sizes are available for shipping and in store pickup. Our larger sizes (7 Gallon and bigger) are only available for in store pickup.

Acer palmatum ‘Firefly’ is an awesome new Japanese maple with intense reticulated variegation. ‘Firefly’ is hot pink in the spring with bright green veins. The colors on ‘Firefly’ seem to change daily as the leaves range from pinks to oranges and everywhere in between. The creamy white center of the leaf and bright green veining make this one of the best reticulated leaves of any Japanese maple. ‘Firefly’ has an upright growth habit, forming a small to medium size tree at maturity. 10 Year Size: Height: 8-10 feet Width: 4-6 feet

Acer shirasawanum ‘Moonrise’ is an excellent full moon maple with exceptional spring color. The large leaves emerge different shades of pink, peach, and orange. These leaves drastically change color over the first several weeks of spring before finally becoming a yellowish green in late spring that maintains through the summer. Fall color is orange. ‘Moonrise’ is a wonderfully growing small to medium size tree that will reach about 7 feet tall at maturity. 10 Year Size: Height: 6-8 feet Width: 4-6 feet

Acer palmatum ‘Ariadne’ is a lovely reticulated Japanese maple. ‘Ariadne’ emerges in spring with light pink and peach colored leaves with dark green veins. This reticulated variegation begins to fade in the summer becoming a pale burgundy through the hotter months. The leaves of ‘Ariadne’ show out again in the fall with bright red foliage that really stands out. ‘Ariadne’ is another excellent example of a Japanese maple with reticulated variegation that will bring excellent color to any landscape.10 Year Size: Height: 5-7 feet Width: 4-6 feet

Acer palmatum ‘Japanese Sunrise’ is a fast growing selection, probably from 'Sango kaku' seedlings that has wonderful variations in its bark color. While bark colors can range from almost yellow to bright red depending on the time of year and the age of bark you are looking at, the orange colors produced in the dead of winter are the most unique. Bark color is always best in full sun and sometimes can show up yellow on the north or shady side which gives the plant a totally different look depending on the angle from which it is viewed. In spring 'Japanese Sunrise emerges with small lime green leaves that darken as summer takes hold, then in fall change to a quite remarkable shade of yellow. Another great introduction found by Billy Schwartz owner of Green Mansions Nursery in Pennsylvania.10 year size Height:  10-12  Feet    Width:  4-6  FeetSpring Color: GreenSummer Color: GreenFall Color: YellowSun Tolerance: FullPlanting: Elevated, Well Drained Soil