Digging deeperPlant Library

Royal Red Norway Maple

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Description:

The hardiest purple-leaf maple, this improvement on the popular Crimson King holds its rich royal purple color well throughout the season; makes a fine accent or shade tree for larger yards

Ornamental Features

Royal Red Norway Maple has attractive purple deciduous foliage on a tree with a round habit of growth. The lobed leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding deep purple in the fall. It is covered in stunning corymbs of lemon yellow flowers along the branches in early spring before the leaves.

Landscape Attributes

Royal Red Norway Maple is a dense deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds and squirrels to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Royal Red Norway Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Royal Red Norway Maple will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 40 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 7 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.