Japanese maple
Acer palmatum
An ornamental plant, planted October to March, or sown September to November.
In September: prune the Japanese maple. It can be sown outdoors now.
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Japanese maple, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| Plant a pot-grown Japanese maple. | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none |
| Prune the Japanese maple. | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual |
| Mulch the Japanese maple. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow outdoors September to November, 1cm deep. Moderate source: RHS. Weaker source for the depth: Gardener’s Path.
Plant a pot-grown Japanese maple October to March, 1.8 to 6m apart. Moderate source: RHS. Weaker source for the spacing: Plant Addicts.
Prune the Japanese maple
Keep it light: just remove badly placed or crossing shoots.
Usually July to January. Moderate source: RHS.
Mulch the Japanese maple
Spread a 10cm layer of garden compost or mulching bark so the tree does not dry out.
Usually March to May. Moderate source: RHS.
What the source words mean
Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.Weaker: a blog, a forum, a small website or a page from outside the UK. Treat it as a guide.
What not to do
Don’t prune it from February to June
Prune only from July to January. At other times the cuts bleed sap, which weakens the tree.
Moderate source: RHS.
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Japanese maple” comes from.