Japanese Maple?

The prior owners of my TH planted something which a couple of my neighbors think may be a Japanese Maple in the front yard. It has red fancy looking leaves and is about 3 feet tall. Is it a tree or is it a bush? Anyone have any experience with these - like how big is it going to get? It is not in the right spot if it is a tree. Ideas please?

Thanks.

 

Its a Japanese Maple, and depending on the variety, it does not get much taller than 3 or 4 feet. They are very beautiful trees, and are very expensive to replace when they are the size you have in your yard.

If you're planning to landscape, I'd ask your landscape designer about it.

 

Thanks Neil. I hope it doesn't get much bigger - I don't think the prior owners put enough thought into the layout of the yard.

 

there are several varieties of japanese maples! My parents have one that is probably 20+ feet wide. Even the larger ones can be trained by selective pruning but its been my experience that if they planted one of the larger varieties then its a losing battle.

 

My guess is it is a Japanese Lace Maple or sometimes called a Japanese Lace Leaf Maple. I have one in my front yard, and it is a wonderful tree (not bush). Be careful with it in the winter, as the branches tend to hold snow. They are delicate and the weight from the snow can cause a lot of damage to the tree.

A "Japanese Maple" can grow to 25-30 feet. I had ones of these also. Just noting something as a Japanese Maple isn't precise.

 

If you decide you'd rather not keep it, please let me know and I would be glad to help you remove it.

This is a serious offer.

 

Robzilla,

I have seen others in the neighborhood and they do get a bit big. They look ok on the corner lot TH's with more space for a front garden, but in a small interior front "yard" - it wasn't good planning. A few smaller bushes would have made a lot more sense. Let me think it over for a bit and get back to you. Maybe you could trade me a few reasonably sized bushes.

 

They can be trimmed.

 

Some cultivars do stay quite small. (And they don't grow all that quickly) If you like the looks of it, take a snippet (or a photo) to a garden center and ask them to help you identify which one it is so you'll know how big they get.

 

I agree these are very expensive - they do require a bit more TLC than some trees - such as checking the PH in your soil - I do know that they like ground bone marrow as a soil additive...(I think it helps w/ the rooting system)