Hot Wings® Tatarian Maple

Wow, some trees just have it all – like the Hot Wings™ Tatarian Maple. Compact size; great fall color; colorful fruits; easy-care; thrives in alkaline soil – this really is the right choice when you are looking for those features from a tree. This relative of the well-known Amur maple is just as tough as that tree, but more vigorous, and a little taller, reaching about 18 feet tall and wide. It can be grown as a taller, single-trunk tree, or a more rounded, multi-trunk one, the choice is yours. It is the perfect size for a smaller garden, looking great out on a lawn, at the back of a shrub bed, filling the corner of your lot, as an avenue or as a screen. It’s incredibly tough, thriving in places like Colorado and Alberta, and is special among maples for doing well even on alkaline and limestone soils (most maples do best in acidic to neutral soils). It is very cold resistant, drought tolerant and grows well even on poor soil. The leaves are smaller than most maples, but have the same handsome, lobed shape. The fruits (called keys or samaras) are bright red, especially while young during summer, making the tree look like it is in bloom and ready for Christmas. The clusters of white flowers in spring nestle among the new leaves. In fall the green summer leaves turn fabulous shades of orange-red, highlighted by yellow leaves deeper inside the crown. This is a great small tree you will enjoy year-round – the winter profile of bare branches decorated with maple keys is great too.

• Compact, rounded multi-stem or single-trunk tree
• Small maple leaves turn orange-red in fall
• Decorative bright-red fruits (maple keys) in summer
• Tolerant of cold, drought and poor soil
• A special maple for its ability to grow well in alkaline soils

Plant your Hot Wings™ Tatarian Maple in full sun for the best fall colors, but it will grow fine with a few hours of shade each day if it must. Plant in any well-drained soil, including poor, sandy or rocky soils, and alkaline soils too. Water new trees regularly, and mulch with rich compost. Once established it is very drought tolerant, and will thrive even in very hot regions. Cold resistant to zone 4, and takes heat too, but could have problems if grown where winters are very warm. Not eaten by deer, it normally has no pest or disease problems. Do any necessary pruning while still young, to avoid leaving permanent scars on the trunk. Prune in summer, as it may bleed sap if pruned in spring.