15 Stunning Maple Tree Species to Elevate Your Landscape

Most individuals choose to plant maples because they function well as shade, street, and specimen trees. Maples are famous for their fall colors; numerous species display oranges, browns, yellows, and reds annually. Leaves on some trees will have several of these colors simultaneously. The other attractive characteristic of the maple tree is drought tolerance.

Maple trees consist of a large number of species in the Acer genus within the plant family Aceraceae. The majority of maple species are deciduous, woody trees, from multi-stemmed shrubs to tall, erect trees with massive trunks.

Below are 15 great maple tree species for your landscape.

15 Exceptional Maple Tree Species for Your Landscape

Is a Maple Tree the Right Choice for Your Yard?

Most maples are shallow-rooted and can force up sidewalks and other paving when planted too close.

Numerous varieties also form thick surface roots that are difficult to mow around; these types would be best planted in a woodland planting area or where the area around them can be mulched or covered by a living ground cover something other than grass.

Most maples are also water- seekers, and their roots will enter water pipes or sewer lines if they are installed above them.
Always inspect the habit of the maple species you are about to plant.

1. Amur Maple (Acer ginnala)

The Amur maple is among the smaller tree species in the Acer genus that grows either as a spreading multistemmed shrub or small tree with dense, rounded crown. Acer ginnala, at times, is referred to as a subspecies of the Tatarian maple and sports the name Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala. It, at times, is also referred to by its common name as Siberian maple.

The fall color is red, with yellows occasionally present as well. The ‘Embers’ and ‘Flame’ are particularly intense in fall color for leaves and fruit. Established, the Amur maple will be somewhat drought tolerant.

• Native Area: Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Siberia
• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
• Height: 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

2. Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)

As its common name indicates, it has the biggest leaves of any maple, and its typical five-lobed, palmate leaves are more than 12 inches in diameter. It is sometimes referred to as broadleaf maple or Oregon maple.

Big leaf maple is a sturdy tree with thick gray to reddish-brown bark. Its leaves burst forth in spring with a burgundy color, turn green during summer, and become yellow or orange during fall. This tree is a good option for shading parks and large landscapes because of its size.

• Native Region: Western North America, from Alaska to Southern California
• USDA Zones: 6 to 7
• Height: 20 to 100 feet
• Sunlight Needs: Full sun to full shade

3. Hedge Maple (Acer campestre)

The. hedge maple is an excellent choice for the urban garden, as it grows well in many harsh conditions: drought; acidic, alkaline, or salty soils; shade places; and environments where there is a deficiency of ozone.1 It can be utilized as a street tree if the power lines are sufficiently strong.

Also referred to as field maple or common maple, hedge maple is a medium- to small-sized tree that can be used as a shade tree in small landscapes or be pruned to be used as a hedge plant in bigger landscapes. Medium-green leaves turn yellow in autumn.

• Native Area: Southwest Asia and Europe
• USDA Growing Zones: 5-8
• Height: 25-35 feet
• Sun Exposure: Part shade to full sun

4. Hornbeam Maple (Acer carpinifolium)

There are often many similar-looking plant species in a genus, but sometimes there is a surprise, such as with hornbeam maple. The leaves are not what you would imagine a maple looks like. Rather, as the scientific and common names indicate, the leaves are more like those of the hornbeam tree (Carpinus spp.).

Instead of the palmate lobes of the traditional maple, this tree has lobeless, elongated leaves with tapering tips and corrugated surface. Leaves are green in summer, yellow or brownish-gold in autumn. This is a fairly challenging plant to locate for purchase, but it can be a fine small tree or large shrub in the landscape.

• Native Area: Japan
• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 7
• Height: 15 to 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

5. Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)

The Japanese maple is also a common feature of Japanese gardens, and that of bonsai too. Leaved is either green or red and can be of very varying shapes and textures—there are thousands of cultivars. Leaved tends to have more lobes than other maples, and a more delicate texture. Colour in autumn is variable according to cultivar; yellows, red-purples, and bronze colours are to be had.

A Japanese maple can be a focal point in many different types of garden designs. However, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental shrub using dwarf forms or as a small specimen tree when larger growing cultivars are planted. The main issue with Japanese maples is that they are sensitive to heat and cold. Even within zone 5, a hard cold snap during the winter months will result in extreme dieback, and in the southern sections of its range, it prefers to be shaded to avoid leaf scorch.2

• Native Area: China, Korea, Japan
• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
• Height: Varies; usually 15 to 25 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade, may survive full shade

6. Norway Maple (Acer platanoides)

Also known as European maple or Norway maple, this well-liked tree was imported to North America from Europe during the 18th century. It has since become one of the most common trees. A medium-sized shade tree with an appealing dense, round crown that is symmetrically shaped, but shallow-rooted, it is.

In the right settings, this species may become invasive, so before planting it check to make sure it is not a problem in your region.

Crimson King is one of the most popular varieties; it features very attractive maroon leaves throughout the growing season, but the fall color is unremarkable, turning grayish. Other varieties usually feature yellow hues in fall.

• Native Area: Europe and western Asia
• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
• Height: typically 40 to 50 feet; occasionally up to 90 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

7. Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)

The paperbark maple is frequently selected for a landscape due to its cinnamon or reddish-brown peeling bark on the trunk, even when the tree is still young.

This is a dwarf rounded tree with slender vertical branches. Leaves are three-lobed with medium green topsides and gray-green undersides.

Leaves turn dramatic oranges or reds during autumn. Paperbark maple is a fine specimen tree for small landscapes, particularly planted close to a deck or patio where it can be enjoyed. Interesting bark offers ample winter interest.

• Native Region: Inner China
• USDA Plant Zones: 4 to 8
• Height: 15 to 30 feet tall and spread
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

8. Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

The red maple does not live up to its name at most times of the year. Red spring buds are transformed into red seed structures (samaras) that are suspended from reddish twigs. Reds recur on the tree with the autumn color change. This medium maple is a familiar landscape tree of North America, a traditional shade tree with a rounded or oval crown.

Three-lobed (occasionally five-lobed) green leaves typically become reddish during fall, although specific colors are volatile. Fall color is also variable by variety, from greenish-yellow through to red to burgundy.

Locally, this tree goes by numerous varying common names: scarlet maple, soft maple, Drummond red maple, Carolina red maple, swamp maple, trident red maple, and water maple.

• Native Area: Eastern United States and Canada
• USDA Growing Zones: 2 through 9
• Height: 30 to 100 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

9. Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)

The underleaf of this maple tree has a silver sheen and gleams brightly when the wind moves through it. The silver maple is one tree you will commonly find all around the U.S., as it naturalizes most easily and becomes very large rapidly. In a neglected landscape, seedlings have a tendency to sprout forth rapidly and become dominant in the landscape.

Like many widespread trees, this one has several local common names, including soft maple, creek maple, river maple, white maple, and water maple. During autumn, the tree colors beautifully in yellow, orange, or red hues. This is yet another shallow-rooted tree and should be planted away from where pipes or pavement are found.

• Native Area: Eastern U.S. and Canada
• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 9
• Height: 50 to 100 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun

10. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

This maple is the preferred maple for those who wish to produce maple syrup because the sap has a higher percentage of plant sugars than with any other maple. Although it can be used as a good large shade tree in optimal situations, this is not a highly urban-tolerant tree. It is not a tree that does well with compacted soils, road salt, or pollution. It does, however, better tolerate shade than most large deciduous trees.

The sugar maple is a large tree with a densely rounded crown. Leaves are medium-green with three or five lobes; fall color is yellow-orange. Regionally, this species is sometimes called rock maple or hard maple.

• Native Area: Northeastern and southern U.S., northeastern Canada
• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
• Height: 50 to 80 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade