Acer palmatum Brown Sugar JWW7 - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum Brown Sugar ('JWW7') is a delightful small Japanese Maple with delicately cut foliage, whose colour variations provide a permanent spectacle throughout the season. The young spring shoots have a reddish-brown colour reminiscent of chocolate, then gradually turn dark green in summer while new coloured shoots appear. In autumn, the foliage turns orange and then red, ending the season beautifully. Very hardy, this fairly compact variety can be grown in pots as well as in the garden, in moist soil with a slightly acidic tendency.

Native to eastern China, Korea, and Japan, Acer palmatum now belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae family (formerly Aceraceae). This large family includes about 140 genera and nearly 2000 species, distributed worldwide. The most well-known, besides maples, are Horse Chestnuts (Aesculus), Koelreuteria, and Xanthoceras (which deserves to be more widely planted).

Acer palmatum, also called Japanese Maple because of its origin, has been cultivated in Japan for over 300 years, in gardens or trained as bonsai, inspiring a true cult among the Japanese. In nature, it is a small tree about 7 to 8m (23 to 26ft) tall, but can exceed 10m (33ft), with palmate leaves divided into 5 to 7 long and acuminate lobes, living in moist and slightly acidic soil. A favourite species among collectors, there are hundreds of horticultural varieties, proof of the enthusiasm for this plant, not only in Japan.

'Brown Sugar' offers changing foliage throughout the year. In spring, young leaves emerge with a chocolate to reddish-brown colour, deeply cut into 7 elongated and acuminate lobes (pointed at the tip), with toothed laminae. These characteristic leaves of the species are very decorative, with their easily recognisable appearance. As summer approaches, they turn into a dark green that further highlights their aesthetic shape, while a second flush appears, this time in shades of red, contrasting with the green of the first flush. In autumn, the foliage turns orange or red depending on the individual plants, thus ending the season beautifully. When the deciduous leaves have fallen in autumn, the red young branches are more noticeable. Discreet flowering takes place in May-June. The flowers, grouped in small clusters, sometimes produce fruits with recurved wings, called samaras, about 3cm (1in) long (the little helicopters that amuse children when they throw them in the air to see them spin).

This small Maple has a spreading bushy habit, marked by a rather slow growth rate, as in 10 years it will reach about 1.5m (5ft) in height and 1m (3ft) in width. As an adult, it rarely exceeds 2m (7ft) in height and 1.5m (5ft) in width, making it suitable for container cultivation to enhance a terrace. It should then be placed preferably to the east, so that it benefits from the morning sun but is sheltered from the afternoon sun. In the garden, in open ground, it will require a non-limestone soil (in which it would develop chlorosis), preferably slightly acidic but not too much. In neutral soil, it can be cultivated by digging a large hole and mixing slightly acidic planting compost (pH around 6) with the existing soil. In a small garden, it can be planted as a specimen on a lawn, but in a larger area, it is better to plant it in a bed. Very hardy, down to -20°C (-4°F) or even lower, it is not afraid of frost but rather of drought, both in the soil and in the atmosphere. Therefore, in hot climates, it will be prudent to plant it under the light shade of trees and water it regularly.

Brown Sugar will find its place in all gardens due to its small size. Decorative for much of the year with its beautiful foliage, it can be planted in a bed with other plants that share the same needs for moist, slightly acidic soil and filtered sunlight. Combine it with the superb Hamamelis, with winter flowering in yellow, orange, or purple. Camellias will also be perfect companions, and by choosing varieties from different groups, you can obtain splendid blooms spread throughout the year. And of course, add some Hydrangeas to your bed, such as Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blaumeise', a variety with flat heads of pink to blue flowers depending on the soil pH.