Autumn Blaze Maple Live Plant – 2.5 inch Pot, Fast Growing, Outdoor Shade Tree

Overview

Transform your garden with the spectacular beauty of the Autumn Blaze Maple live plant. This popular deciduous tree, botanically known as Acer × freemanii, is a naturally occurring hybrid between the red maple (Acer rubrum) and silver maple (Acer saccharinum). Renowned for its vigorous growth rate and stunning fall display, the Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is a favorite among landscapers and homeowners alike. It quickly establishes itself, providing ample shade and a magnificent visual impact with its striking orange-red autumn leaves. This particular offering provides a healthy young plant, ready to grow into a majestic specimen in your outdoor space, ushering in years of vibrant seasonal changes. The Acer x freemanii tree combines the strong branch structure and brilliant fall color of the red maple with the fast growth and adaptability of the silver maple, making it a reliable and aesthetically pleasing choice for any landscape.

Discovered and hybridized by Oliver M. Freeman in 1933, this cultivar has become a staple for its reliability and aesthetic appeal. Whether you’re looking to add a focal point to your yard or seeking a robust shade tree, the Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is an excellent choice that promises years of enjoyment and vibrant seasonal changes. Its robust nature and eye-catching appearance make it an ideal addition for both new gardeners and seasoned landscapers seeking a high-impact, low-maintenance tree.

Key Benefits

The Autumn Blaze Maple live plant offers a multitude of benefits that make it an outstanding addition to any landscape. Its remarkable attributes contribute to both the aesthetic appeal and practical functionality of your outdoor environment, ensuring a rewarding planting experience.

• Spectacular Fall Foliage: Experience a breathtaking display of intense orange-red color each autumn, making your garden a focal point during the season. The vibrant hues of this fall color maple are long-lasting and truly unforgettable, drawing admiration from all who see them.
• Rapid Growth Rate: This fast growing maple tree quickly establishes itself, providing shade and visual impact sooner than many other tree varieties. You won’t have to wait decades to enjoy its full grandeur, as it grows swiftly into a substantial specimen.
• Excellent Shade Provider: With its dense canopy and impressive mature size, the Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is an ideal choice for creating cool, shaded areas in your yard, perfect for outdoor living and potentially reducing energy costs by shading your home.
• Drought Tolerance: Once established, the Acer x freemanii tree exhibits good drought resistance, making it a relatively low-maintenance option for various climates and reducing the need for constant watering after its initial establishment period. This makes it a sustainable choice for many regions.
• Adaptable to Various Soils: This resilient hybrid can thrive in a wide range of soil types, from sandy to clay, as long as drainage is adequate. This versatility makes it suitable for many different planting locations, simplifying site selection.
• Strong Branch Structure: Unlike some other fast-growing maples, the Freeman maple tree is known for its strong, upright branch structure, which helps it withstand wind and storm damage better. This structural integrity ensures a long-lived and beautiful tree.
• Urban Tolerant: The fall color maple is frequently used as a street tree due to its tolerance for urban conditions, including compacted soil and air pollution, making it a robust choice for challenging environments where other trees might struggle.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is relatively straightforward, and with proper attention, it will thrive and provide years of beauty. This adaptable tree prefers a location with full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. While it can tolerate partial shade, full sun exposure is crucial for developing its most vibrant fall colors. When planting, choose a site that allows for ample space, as this fast growing maple tree can reach significant heights and spreads, requiring room to flourish.

Watering is critical, especially during the first few growing seasons after planting. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Deep watering once or twice a week is generally more beneficial than shallow, frequent watering, as it encourages deeper root growth. Once established, the Acer x freemanii tree becomes more drought-tolerant, but supplemental watering during prolonged dry spells will ensure its continued health and vigor. The ideal soil for an Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6.0-7.0), and rich in organic matter. Avoid excessively alkaline soils, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies and hinder growth.

The Freeman maple tree is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8, making it suitable for a wide range of climates across the United States. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release tree fertilizer formulated for deciduous trees. Follow package instructions for application rates to avoid over-fertilization. Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring before new growth emerges, focusing on removing dead, damaged, or crossing branches to maintain a strong structure and promote healthy growth. While generally robust, watch for common maple pests like aphids and scale, and diseases such as verticillium wilt. Good air circulation and proper watering practices can help prevent many issues for your beautiful fall color maple, ensuring it remains a stunning feature in your landscape for decades.

Size & Details

This offering is for one healthy Autumn Blaze Maple live plant, supplied in a 2.5-inch container. The plant is young, ready to be transplanted into your garden or a larger pot, where it will begin its rapid growth journey. The Acer x freemanii tree is known for its impressive mature size, typically reaching heights of 40-50 feet with a spread of 30-40 feet, developing a broad, oval to rounded crown. Its vigorous nature means you can expect significant growth each year, quickly transforming into a majestic shade tree that will enhance your property’s value and aesthetic appeal.

The plant ships as a live, rooted specimen, carefully packaged to ensure its health upon arrival. While exact height upon delivery may vary, it will be a viable young plant ready for successful establishment. This fast growing maple tree is an investment that will mature into a prominent feature of your landscape, providing beauty and shade for many decades. Optimal planting time is spring or fall, allowing the roots to establish before extreme temperatures, ensuring the best start for your new tree.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is a fast-growing tree that can reach mature heights of 40-50 feet with a spread of 30-40 feet, forming a beautiful, dense canopy that provides ample shade.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: This particular offering provides one Autumn Blaze Maple live plant in a 2.5-inch container, ready for you to transplant into your garden or a larger pot upon arrival.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is an outdoor tree, best suited for planting in gardens, parks, or as a street tree where it has ample space to grow and thrive, providing shade and vibrant color.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This Acer x freemanii tree thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to achieve its best growth and most vibrant fall colors, making it a spectacular sight.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Freeman maple tree is considered relatively easy to care for once established. It’s adaptable to various conditions and known for its robust nature, making it a good choice for many gardeners, including those new to tree care.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your fall color maple will arrive as a live, healthy young plant in a 2.5-inch container, carefully packaged to ensure its safe transit and readiness for planting in your chosen location.
• Q: When is the best time to plant an Autumn Blaze Maple? A: The ideal times to plant an Autumn Blaze Maple live plant are in the spring or fall, which allows the tree to establish its root system before facing the stress of extreme summer heat or winter cold, promoting stronger growth.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is highly cold-hardy, thriving in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-8. This means it can withstand significant winter temperatures in these regions, making it suitable for a wide range of climates.
• Q: What makes the fall foliage so striking? A: The intense orange-red fall foliage of the Autumn Blaze Maple live plant is a result of its hybrid vigor, combining the best color characteristics of its red and silver maple parents, creating a consistently brilliant and long-lasting display.
• Q: Is this a good tree for a residential street? A: Yes, the fast growing maple tree is frequently used as a street tree due to its strong structure, adaptability to urban conditions, and stunning aesthetic appeal, providing both shade and beauty to neighborhoods and homes.