Maple, Japanese Ice Dragon

A stunning landscape choice bred for superior hardiness, this fine small accent tree features graceful, finely cut foliage that emerges red, maturing to green, then presenting yellow, orange, and red fall color; heat and sun tolerant as well Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple has attractive green foliage which emerges cherry red in spring. The deeply cut ferny palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. It produces red samaras from early to mid fall. The flowers are not ornamentally significant. The rough gray bark and red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape. Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple is an open deciduous tree with a strong central leader and a more or less rounded form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone. This is a relatively low maintenance tree, 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. Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications; Accent Mass Planting Hedges/Screening General Garden Use Container Planting This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. 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, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. 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.