Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
Common name : Japanese Maple
Family
Aceraceae
Plant Type
Small to medium sized tree.
Aspect
Sun or partial shade.
Eventual Size
Height: up to 8 m (26ft). Width: up to 5m (16ft).
Acer palmatums are tremendous garden plants, probably amongst the best loved of ornamental garden trees.
Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’, a round-headed, deciduous tree or shrub growing to 8m high x 5m wide, is undoubtedly one of the best. Above, it is pictured in a border in early spring with a conifer with contrasting bright green foliage.
It has deeply cut, 5 lobed, dark red to purple leaves about 5-20cm (2 to 8 inches) long which turn bright red in autumn. Its tiny flowers are insignificant but it also has interesting red samara (winged) fruit.
Where summers are hot, ‘Bloodgood’ prefers shade or partial shade as otherwise it may suffer leaf scorch.
It tolerates most soils but prefers those that are moist, fertile and well drained. It is hardy down to -15 degrees C and is moderately drought and salt tolerant.
Grown for its striking summer and autumn foliage colour, Acer Palmatum Bloodgood can be a good design focal point, a feature plant or, as you can see in the photograph above, an excellent contrast to green foliage plants in a border.
You could very well consider teaming it with Acanthus mollis, since both have similar preferences for soil and partial shade.
This tremendously versatile tree can also be grown in containers, trained as a standard or even bonsaied.
Maintenance of Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
Acers of this species only need pruning to maintain a healthy framework. This is done by removing wayward or crossing stems.
Pruning should be carried out when the tree is dormant in late autumn or winter.
A general purpose fertiliser should be applied annually in spring and and the roots well mulched.
‘Bloodgood’ should be well watered in its first year to allow its roots to establish.
Pests and diseases
It is best to plant Acers out of cold winds, as these can cause leaf scorch.
Propagation
Can be prone to aphids, mites and scale insects.
Graft in winter, bud in late summer.
Can also be propagated by sowing seed in containers or outdoor in situ, though resulting plants are unlikely to come true to the cultivar.
Buy Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
Check out the latest prices:
US Buyers
 Bloodgood Japanese Maple – $63.95
Beautiful Bloodgood Japanese Maple Landscaper’s Favorite Small, Graceful Tree. Highly Adaptable and versatile, requires minimal care. With dramatic colour, the Bloodgood Japanese Maple Tree (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’) can bring a peaceful yet striking feeling to your landscape. |
UK Buyers
Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood
Also, try Gardening Express for good value specimens.
But remember to compare like with like – make sure you’re comparing plants of approximately the same size. There is a big difference in price between advanced sized ornamental trees and small saplings.
References
Brickell C (ed), 1998, the Royal Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants Dorling Kindersley, London.
Martin Cole has been an avid plant lover and gardener for more than 20 years and loves to talk and write about gardening. In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year competition. He is a member of the National dahlia Society.
He previously lived in London and Sydney, Australia, where he took a diploma course in Horticultural studies and is now based in North Berwick in Scotland. He founded GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012. The website is aimed at everybody who loves plants or has been bitten by the gardening bug and wants to know more.
Gardening Step by Step has been cited by Thompson and Morgan, the UK’s largest mail order plant retailer, as a website that publishes expert gardening content.
5 thoughts on “Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’: Japanese Garden Star”
Comments are closed.