Acer griseum Tree

Acer griseum boasts tactile, cinnamon coloured, peeling bark, hence the common name, Paper bark maple. Translucent sections of paper-thin, peeling bark curl up and stay attached to the tree, giving year-round interest but especially winter interest. The attractive foliage has three leaflets and is a good bold green, turning a firework display of colours from pink to bright red before falling in the autumn.

This slow growing, small Acer tree reaches a height and spread of 5 x 4 metres in 20 year and is suited to small gardens. Acer griseum has the RHS Award of Garden Merit and will grow in both sunny or partially shaded locations. It will do well in most well drained soils, but do avoid a very exposed position.

Interesting fact: E H Wilson brought Acer griseum to England from China in 1901. The tree in Westonbirt Arboretum is believed to be a Wilson original.

AKA Paperbark maple, Paper-bark maple

• Common name: Paper bark maple tree
• Latin name: Acer griseum
• Awards: RHS Award of Garden Merit
• Height and spread in 20 years: 5 x 4 metres
• Seasons of interest: Year round
• Foliage: Green leaves turning orange and red in autumn
• Position: Full sun or partial shade
• Soil: Moist, well-drained sites are preferable but most soil types are suitable

Planting Advice for Acer griseum Trees

Our pot grown Paper 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 Paper Bark Maple trees (except multi stem forms) 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 further advice, visit the help section.

Aftercare Advice for Acer griseum Trees

If you’re planting Paper Bark Maple 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.

Pruning Advice for Acer griseum Trees

Paper Bark Maple trees are easy to look after as they 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.

Delivery Timescales

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.

Delivery Costs

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.

Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Non Mainland UK

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).