Native to Japan, the Japanese Maple is a total showstopper that’s surprisingly low-maintenance. Plus, these beauties are generally winter-hardy! However, depending on how and where you’ve planted yours, you might need to give it a little extra TLC before the first big freeze hits. Here’s the lowdown on keeping your maple happy all winter long.
Japanese Maples feel right at home in our climate
The Japanese Maple originally comes from regions in Japan where winters can get pretty chilly. Because of that, both Red and Green Japanese Maples are usually tough enough to handle our freezing temperatures—at least once they’re established in the ground. But if you’re dealing with a young sapling or a tree in a container, you’ll want to take a few precautions to shield them from the biting cold.
How to protect your container-grown maples
If you have a mature Japanese Maple planted directly in your garden, you usually don’t need to break a sweat when winter arrives. However, it’s a different story for a Japanese Maple in a pot. In a container, the soil can freeze through much faster than it does in the ground, which puts those roots at risk.
To keep it cozy, wrap the pot in garden fleece or burlap. Don’t forget to give it a drink on frost-free days, and cover the soil surface, too. Since Japanese Maples have shallow root systems, they’re extra sensitive to surface freezes.
Here’s your pre-winter checklist for potted maples:
- Wrap the pot in fleece or bubble wrap for insulation.
- Cover the soil surface with brushwood or mulch.
- Water the tree occasionally on days when the ground isn’t frozen.
Caring for young Japanese Maples
Younger trees haven’t quite built up the “muscle” to fight off deep freezes yet. To help them out, spread a thick layer of fallen leaves over the root zone. You can secure the leaves with a bit of wire mesh or some evergreen branches so the wind doesn’t blow your insulation away. One big tip: stop fertilizing in the winter! You want the tree to enter its natural dormant phase so its internal clock stays right on track.
