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Home / Archives for Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage

All About Paperbark Maple

March 17, 2017 by Horsford Team

Paperbark Maple bark and foliage

People often walk up to a Paperbark Maple growing in our fields and ask “What kind of birch is this?” They are always surprised by the answer, “It’s a maple!” Why the confusion? The Paperbark Maple is so named for its beautiful cinnamon-colored exfoliating bark. Huge curls peel back to reveal a lighter, rosy-brown inner bark.

Paperbark Maple barkPaperbark Maple (Acer griseum) was first introduced in the United States in 1907 by Ernest Henry Wilson who collected seedlings of the tree during a plant finding expedition in China. Two of these seedlings were planted at the Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts where they are still thriving today. Between 1927 and 1945, seedlings were distributed to nurseries throughout the United States. The tree has become a popular specimen in American landscapes.

So why should you grow it? It has many appealing attributes beyond its gorgeous bark. This is a small tree, growing between 20-30 feet tall, with an interesting branch structure that does not require pruning to maintain. The small cut-leaf leaves are not typical of what one thinks of as a maple leaf. Rather, each leaf is comprised of three leaflets that are an attractive, lush green until late autumn when they turn a brilliant orange-red (a lovely subject for watercolor).

Paperbark Maples are easy to grow. They prefer average, well-drained soils in full sun or part shade. While they will be slower to mature, they will tolerate clay soils. Even though a Paperbark Maple does not compare in height or width to the Sugar Maple, it can still be considered a shade tree and is especially useful in small yards or as a focal point in a garden where it can be underplanted with perennials, short-growing shrubs, and bulbs.

Paperbark Maple exfoliating bark
Cinnamon-colored exfoliating bark provides year-round interest
Full Paperbark Maple in summer
Paperbark Maple makes a great specimen or understory planting
Paperbark Maple red fall foliage
Plant this year to enjoy fiery fall foliage this autumn

Paperbark Maple sizes/prices available here

Filed Under: Fall Foliage, Landscape, Trees

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  • Are you heading to the @vtflowershow next weekend? If you want to see some tulips in bloom (among MANY other wonderful plants) this is the weekend stop for you! Starts March 1 at @champlainvalleyexpo
  • “Your kind never sees us whole. You miss the half of it, and more. There’s always as much below ground as above.”
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Fun fact: we have a book club here amongst the #horsfordteam. We call ourselves The Bookworm Castings Club (not joking) 😂🐛🍎
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Right now we’re in the middle of The Overstory by Richard Powers. It’s all about trees and our connections to them. 🌳 Surprisingly it’s the first plant book we’ve read!
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PS: If you guys have more book suggestions we’d love to hear!
  • This one’s a little dense. Bear with us. 🤔
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You usually hear about new growth or new wood when learning about how a plant flowers and when to prune. ✂️
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Blooms on NEW wood = flowers are on current season’s growth. You can usually prune these in early spring, late fall or winter. Examples include summer bloomers like spiraea and hydrangea paniculata and arborescens.
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Blooms on OLD wood = flowers are on last year’s growth. Don’t prune these in spring; you’ll be cutting off flowers! It’s best to prune immediately after flowering so they have time to set buds for next season (that will then bear flowers). These are your early spring bloomers like forsythia, quince and lilacs.
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New growth is flexible and can be followed back to a woodier stem which was the previous year’s growth. During the winter, what was the current season’s growth becomes more rigid and woody in order to support the next season’s growth. In a way, a shrub or tree is building the framework that supports itself and you can see it if you look closely! 🌳 .
Think about it.
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Woody plants only grow taller by adding new growth. If you carve your name in a young sapling at 4 feet off the ground, your name will still be 4 feet off the ground 200 years later. It’s fun to think about how this differs from animal growth. Imagine if we sprouted “new growth” every year! 🤓
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More in our story!
  • Blooming #buddleia and #butterflies for your Valentine’s Day 🥰
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#gardencountdown #tbt #happyvalentinesday #thisisvt #butterflybush
  • We’ll admit, deadheading isn’t the most lovely-sounding term! The practice can result in lovely-looking plants though.
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Remember, a plant’s lofty goal is to go to seed so it can reproduce. Deadheading diverts energy from those seeds back into more flowers (that ultimately go to seed again).
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When deadheading, look for dead flowers since this is usually where seeds are. Be sure to cut the flower stalk too all the way down to the next set of leaves. Otherwise you’ll be left with tall dead stalks. When you can, try to have the cut hidden by the plant’s remaining foliage.
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Deadheading isn’t necessary but it can definitely help annuals last longer and perennials bloom later.
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Petunias, marigolds, zinnia, and many perennials are commonly deadheaded so they bloom again. Roses can also benefit from deadheading.
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Some gardeners don’t prefer deadheading because birds and other wildlife depend on seeds. Some plants also have quite decorative seed heads so it’s nice to keep them for that reason too.
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See examples of deadheading in our story!

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2111 Greenbush Road | Charlotte, Vermont 05445
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