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RHS guide
View 3, 25 Sept 2026
Japanese maple 'Atropurpureum'
Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'
Single slender trunk with a leggy top, a cluster of lower shoots and deep purple-red leaves. From the 'Japanese Jewels' range. Work planned for late winter or early spring.
- Common name
- Japanese maple 'Atropurpureum'
- Section
- Trees & shrubs
- Style
- Pre-bonsai / raw material
- Spot
- Garden
- Soil
- Nursery compost
- Options
Bonsai · Patio pot · Plant out
Bonsai
Possible informal upright or broom style, with fine twigs and red autumn colour.
Patio pot
A patio maple in a sufficiently large container.
Plant out
A garden tree where there is room for its mature size.
- From
- A local lady who sells plants cheaply at a farmers' market café, Sep 2026
- Age
- About 3 years
- Next repot
- Around Mar 2027
- Edible
- ❌ Not for eating.
- Hardy
- ✅ Fully, though potted roots like shelter in a hard freeze
- Garden-centre price
- about £20
Did you know?
In parts of Japan the leaves are battered and deep-fried as a snack.
Care & updates
- Next root check
- Mar 2027
- What to expect
- Fast growth once settled, often 30 cm or more a year in a good pot. Leaves drop in autumn and burst back in spring.
- Feeding
- Every 28 days, Apr–Jul, with Balanced liquid feed, half strength (acers hate strong feed)
- Observation
Lots of crisp, curled brown leaf edges, especially lower down. Looks like sun or wind scorch or a dry spell before purchase; leaves will drop soon for autumn anyway. Upper leaves still deep purple-red.
🎮
PC classic
Shogun: Total War (PC, 2000)
Japanese maples in their natural habitat: feudal Japan.
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