Commonly referred to as a Snake Bark maple, Acer davidii 'George Forrest' has wonderful striated, snakeskin-like bark. The young bark varies from purple/red to green with creamy white stripes. In maturity the bark turns green/brown with white stripes. The leaves are large and dark-green on coral red stems in summer and in autumn turn fiery orange.
Planted in any soil with good drainage and out of cold winds, 'George Forrest' will grow to 5 x 4 metres in 20 years and will form a slightly spreading tree with arching branches and a loose attractive canopy.
AKA Snake Bark Maple, Snakebark Maple, Père David's maple 'George Forrest'
Our pot grown George Forrest Snake Bark Maple trees can be planted at any time of the year. Prepare your planting site by removing weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole. Dig a square hole as deep as the root mass and roughly 2x as wide. To help the tree establish more effectively, sprinkle root grow in the hole.
Remove the pot, gently loosen the roots and place into the planting hole. Mix 50% of the original soil with 50% compost, fill in the hole and firm around gently. Avoid banking the soil up around the collar of the tree.
We recommend planting Maple 'George Forrest' trees (except multi stems) with a staking kit. For single stakes, knock the stake in at an angle and use a buckle tie with a spacer to prevent chaffing. For more advice, visit the help section.
If you’re planting Maple 'George Forrest' trees in spring or summer, water well for the first few months. Increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If planting in autumn, you may only need to water a little.
Once planted, keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first couple of growing seasons and if your area is prone to rabbits, use a rabbit guard. Our complete planting kits contain an irrigation system, weed suppressing mulch mat and rabbit guard, as well as the rootgrow and staking kits mentioned above.
Snake Bark Maple 'George Forrest' trees are easy to look after and do not require a lot of pruning. Remove any damaged or diseased branches when the tree is in leaf or just after leaf fall. This will prevent bleeding, which although it is not detrimental, can look unsightly. When pruning, make sure to maintain an even framework, step back and assess your work and prune proportionately.
Most deliveries are made within a week of placing the order. All trees are carefully packed by our experienced team, with many despatched to our tried and tested couriers within 24 hours (please allow up to 10 days). There's no need to be in to receive your trees and you can request where they are left via the checkout.
There is a slightly longer timescale on pleached and mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) because we group orders together by geographic area for specialist delivery - we will contact these customers to notify them of the delivery date and whether the delivery driver needs assistance.
Gift trees and those required by a specific date can be accommodated with pleasure, although we accept no legal responsibility for late deliveries.
Our nursery is a busy despatch centre, so please make an appointment to collect or view trees. For collections, despatch charges will be refunded.
1 small tree (most trees with a height under 1.5 metres) : £7.95 + vat
1 medium tree (most trees 1.5-2 metres in height) or 2-4 small trees: £9.95 + vat
2+ medium trees or 5+ small trees: £12.95 + vat
1-4 large trees (trees too large to fit in a box): £19.95 + vat
Mature, pleached or 5+ large trees: Cost is calculated in the checkout process and varies by postcode. You can buy additional trees with no increase in delivery cost.
The above prices exclude the Scottish Highlands, where delivery starts from £24.95 + vat and is calculated in the checkout process.
Our courier charges are not viable for just one or two trees, but if you have a larger requirement then please do speak to us to see if we can find a solution.
Below are definitions of various forms, which refer to the shape of the tree defined by the pruning it has received. For more advice, please contact us.
Single Stem / Pruned and shaped: Classic shaped tree with a single stem that has had pruning to help create a beautiful, natural shape.
Top grafted: A height noted next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Top grafted trees do not require complicated pruning and are ideal for small spaces.
Multi Stem: A multi stem tree is has two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system. Take care to buy a true multi-stem like all ours and not those that are 3 saplings in a pot to cheaply imitate them.
Feathered: A feathered tree has branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.
Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.
Climber: A plant that is a natural climber and will be delivered usually running up a bamboo cane, ready to position in the garden.
Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branch), which supports a branched crown. Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height.
Standard either 6-10cm or 8-10cm girth, approximately 2.5-3.0m in height
Premium Standard 10-12cm girth, approximately 3.0-3.5m in height
Heavy Standard 12-14cm girth, approximately 3.5-4.5m in height
Extra Heavy Standard 14-16cm girth approximately 4.0-6m in height
The table below gives sizes and forms available for this variety, along with photos you can enlarge (these are only a guideline as all plants are unique so vary).
| Plant Specification | Form | Supplied Size | Root type | Price | Quantity Qty | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pruned & Shaped Tree | 150-200cm | 10L pot | £59.99£49.99 (ex VAT) (VAT Free) (ex VAT) (inc VAT) (VAT Free) (inc VAT) | 1
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| Multi-stem | 90-120cm | 12L pot | £53.99£44.99 (ex VAT) (VAT Free) (ex VAT) (inc VAT) (VAT Free) (inc VAT) Was £59.99£49.99 (ex VAT) (VAT Free) (ex VAT) (inc VAT) (VAT Free) (inc VAT) | 1
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| Standard Tree, 8-10cm girth | approx 2.5-3.0m | 28L pot | £191.99£159.99 (ex VAT) (VAT Free) (ex VAT) (inc VAT) (VAT Free) (inc VAT) | 1
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