Columnist Tony Tomeo planted this silver maple on July 12, 1985, for his 18th birthday. Now, 15 years later, it is already a tall, attractive, well-established tree.

Maples offer a wide variety of leaf color, shape, texture

By Tony Tomeo

I prefer not to maintain favorites among plant species. In landscaping, it is best to use species that are best suited to each location. There are always many factors to take into consideration.

However, no matter how hard I try, I still enjoy maples more than other trees. Fortunately, I can justify my preference--they are very useful, but rarely planted trees. They are also durable, clean and require minimal maintenance.

Before I go further, I want to clarify the difference between maple trees and the more commonly known Japanese maples, which ironically are among my least favorite trees. The main reason I don't like them is that they have been very trendy and are often planted where they don't belong.

In the wild, Japanese maples are understory trees. This means they grow in part shade under the canopies of larger trees. Few varieties attain sufficient height to be classified as shade trees. In the landscape, some varieties can grow in full sun, but they are sensitive to reflected glare, such as from walls or pavement. They also may be damaged by any combination of heat, wind or dry air.

Japanese maples are best used as ornamental "specimen" trees rather than shade trees.

Foliage color may range between green, bronze and reddish purple. Foliar texture may be broad leafed or lacy (lace leaf Japanese maples are more susceptible to leaf burn).

Maples that are good shade trees are not as variable as Japanese maples, and not nearly as frequently planted. Some were trendy in the 1950s and have possibly contributed to their reputation of breaking sidewalks.

Incidentally, the currently trendy London planetrees (sycamores) and Chinese pistache trees that are replacing maples will be breaking sidewalks within 20 years, rather than the 40 or more years it takes maples to do it. Maples also do not spread disease like sycamores, or drop messy fruit like pistaches.

Maples are very clean, dropping their foliage completely in the autumn. Most exhibit excellent autumn color. They grow well in endemic soil and enjoy the mild summers of the Santa Clara Valley. They prefer thorough irrigation, such as most landscaped areas normally receive.

The varieties of red maple are particularly useful as street trees. They don't get too large and their roots are well-behaved. Norway maples may be somewhat large as street trees, and their roots may eventually be a problem, but it will be half a century or so before such problems arise. Sugar maples and their cultivars show the best autumn color.

If looking for these trees in nurseries, don't be confused by red maples with green foliage in summer (it turns red in autumn), or Norway maples with red foliage. Most importantly, don't allow anyone to sell you a Japanese maple with red foliage if you actually want a red maple.

Two species of maple that require caution are the bigleaf maple and the silver maple. The bigleaf is a native tree and so grows well here--almost too well. Voracious surface roots can be a problem. It is too big for most gardens, growing very rapidly when young. Foliage of the bigleaf maple often fades prior to autumn.

The silver maple produces a pleasantly light canopy of delicate foliage. However, it grows very fast and large. Surface roots of mature trees mound at the base of the trunk. Silver maples are often structurally unstable. Unlike most maples, these species do not produce good autumn color.

Tree of the Week: Silver Maple

I just listed some of its bad qualities. However, the silver maple, Acer saccharinum, is still one of my favorites. The species has such a distinct personality: unrefined and classy; subtle and bold. Silver maples are best appreciated in summer, as their fast growth produces shade in only a few years. Yet the canopy is not so dense that the garden will be in the shade.

Their large size and problem roots are not suitable for small gardens and certainly not near pavement. They are best used in large open areas where they may fill out without competition. Foliage is so delicate that when it falls in autumn it need not be raked out of deep ground cover or shrubbery. If it is raked up, it may be spread directly in flower or vegetable gardens as it will be composted prior to spring planting.

If planting new trees that are not grafted cultivars, it is important to know there is some degree of genetic variability among seed. In formal plantings, some trees may not match.

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Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be reached at 408.358.2574.

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