Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' Tree

Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' is a lovely Japanese Maple that has elegant deeply lobed, purple foliage throughout the spring and summer. In the autumn, the foliage turns vivid crimson red, creating a wonderful seasonal canvas. Unusually, 'Atropurpureum' will show differences in leaf size and shape  from plant to plant.

Providing vibrant colour for most of the year, Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' is a fantastic choice and does best when planted in a sheltered position avoiding heavy, waterlogged soils. An approximate height and spread of 4 x 4 metres in 20 years can be expected from this bushy Japanese Maple.

AKA Purple Japanese Maple tree, Atropurpureum Japanese Maple

• Common name: Japanese Maple Atropurpureum
• Height and spread in 20 years: 4 x 4 metres
• Seasons of interest: Spring, Summer, Autumn
• Foliage: Purple foliage throughout spring and summer, turning a crimson red shade in autumn
• Soil: Suited to all but very wet soils

Planting Advice For Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' Trees

Pot grown Atropurpureum Japanese Maples can be planted at any time of the year. Firstly, remove all weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole then dig a square hole as deep as your root mass and approximately 2x as wide. To help your tree establish more effectively, we advise sprinkling root grow in the hole, especially if you have poor soil.

When planting Japanese Maples, use ericaceous compost when possible as this encourages vibrant foliage colour. Using 50% of the original soil and 50% compost, fill in the hole and firm around gently. Make sure not to bank the soil up around the collar of the tree as this can cause problems.

The tree planting guide has further information and videos.

Watering & Aftercare Advice For Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' Trees

If you’re planting Japanese Maples in spring or summer, water well and regularly for the first few months. If you’re planting in autumn, you may only need to water your tree a little. Keep an eye on young trees and increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If possible, use rain water instead of tap water as this is more acidic and better for foliage colour. We stock a range of irrigation kits for more effective watering.

Once planted, keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first couple of growing seasons. If there is snow fall, gently brush the snow from the branches to ensure it does not weigh down the framework and cause damage.

Pruning Advice For Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' Trees

Pruning should be carried out in the dormant season (November to March) as Japanese Maples bleed during other times of the year, which can weaken the branches. Japanese Maples rarely need pruning as their natural shape is normally the most attractive. Any pruning should be carried out with a less is more approach, only removing crossing, damaged or diseased branches.

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 for specialist delivery - we will contact these customers to notify them of the delivery date.

Trees on pre-order are still growing and an estimate of when they will be ready for despatch is given on the basket page.

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 under 1.5 metres in height) : £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 trees delivered by pallet (inc. mature Japanese Maples): £19.95 + vat

Mature and pleached trees or orders too large for pallet: Cost is calculated in the checkout process and varies by postcode. It is a one off charge and will not increase if you add to the order.

The above prices exclude the Scottish Highlands, where delivery starts from £24.95 + vat and is calculated in the checkout process.

Northern Ireland 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.

The product table at the bottom of the page gives the forms and sizes available for this variety. Please note, photos are a guideline as all plants are unique. Below are definitions of terms:

Supplied Size: Height measured from the top of the pot.

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 branches of the 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