WHAT: Many sugar maples eventually grow to dominate their surroundings, not so with Apollo sugar maple, also known as acer saccharum Barrett Cole. This slow-growing columnar tree will mature to about half the height of other sugar maples.
WHY PLANT IT: Its dense, symmetrical growth becomes a spire of brilliant orange and red with undertones of golden yellow in the fall. This is an excellent selection for use as a street tree or in a small urban garden.
WHERE: Sugar maples grow best in a rich, fertile, well-drained soil with exposure to full sun for the most intense fall color. These are not especially drought tolerant trees and do best with regular summer watering.
HOW: Plant it near other small trees and shrubs that have intense fall color or in front of an evergreen backdrop for a bright contrast in autumn.
Prune to prevent rubbing and crossing branches on young trees. Once this tree starts to mature, little pruning is needed.
ACTUAL SIZE: Apollo sugar maple slowly reaches about 30 feet tall 12 feet wide in about 30 years. It has a tight, upright form that gradually develops into a densely branched symmetrical upright column.
LEARN MORE: See www.greatplantpicks.org
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