Maple plant that will not turn green?

Question

I live in Ireland. I bought an Acer plant "deshojo" ,few years back . Now I have two issues with this plant. One is that it will give that nice pink/red color only for few months (April -june). The rest of the year its almost green, which i don't like.The second issue for me is that , there is possibility of this plant becoming big for my small garden.So i am going to replace this Acer plant with a new Acer Variety So can someone help me to find an Acer plant that's Dwarf (max 8-9 feet) and may not turn to green (a variety that may convert from red-pink-red or red-orange-yellow) and will survive in Ireland Thanks in Advance

Answer 1

The Acer palmatum variety you already have is actually described by the RHS as turning green within a few weeks of the leaves opening, but perhaps you did not find an accurate description prior to purchase. This is not uncommon - Acer palmatum 'Beni-maike' starts out red, turns a glorious pink and then, unfortunately, green within the first 6-8 weeks after leaf break, so if you want one that maintains its colour throughout the growing season, a careful choice has to be made.

There are others which more or less hold their colour until autumn and which don't get so large as the one you currently have, such as Acer palmatum dissectum 'Garnet', or Acer 'Crimson Queen'. Acer 'Bloodgood' holds its colour well, but gets larger than the size you've specified. Info here re Acer 'Garnet', and you can use the search box within the link to check out the other Acer I mentioned - be sure to check the height and spread measurements towards the bottom of the page for each https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/231/i-Acer-palmatum-i-Garnet-(D)/Details. It is much better to choose one that gets the size you want, and not one that gets too large and which you have to constantly prune back - that repeated pruning destroys the line and shape of an Acer palmatum variety, and frequent pruning is not recommended.

Answer 2

Few I found are given below.

1. Acer palmatum 'Inaba-shidare'
2. Acer palmatum 'Ornatum'
3. Acer palmatum 'Garnet'
4. Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpureum'
5. Acer palmatum dissectum 'Lace Lady' Tree
6. Acer palmatum dissectum 'Crimson Princess' Tree

and atlast the one i selected is 'skeeters broom'

Answer 3

I am afraid the color of the plant is part of its genetics and might be influenced by seasons.

About your becoming too big problem. Acers are ideal for bonsai!

There is also a purple Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum atropurpureum), which you can keep small by pruning. This variety stays red throughout the year, but should be planted in shade/half shade (in full sun the leaves will burn in summer, making them the kind of yellow you don't want).