PLANT FINDER
Kawaii Full Moon Maple
Acer shirasawanum 'Kawaii'
Height: 18 inches
Spread: 24 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4b
Description:
This exciting dwarf variety produces vivid plum spring foliage that matures to orange-red, followed by vibrant red fall color, the effect is stunning; an ideal small accent for the garden
Ornamental Features
Kawaii Full Moon Maple has attractive red-tipped orange foliage which emerges plum purple in spring on a plant with a spreading habit of growth. The deeply cut lobed leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding crimson in the fall.
Landscape Attributes
Kawaii Full Moon Maple is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which should be used to full effect.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Kawaii Full Moon Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Kawaii Full Moon Maple will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. It has a low canopy. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Kawaii Full Moon Maple makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
Characteristics
Applications
Ornamental Features