(Copperleaf, Copperplant, Wilkes' Acalypha)

An evergreen shrub native to the Pacific islands, copperleaf bears brightly colored foliage in shades or red, purple, bronze and green. It is a popular landscape plant in subtropical and tropical zones and planted as a houseplant or annual in cooler zones. The name, Acalypha wilkesiana, honors Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, an American Naval Officer who explored the South Pacific during the mid-1800s.

Beautiful, mottled leaves are the reason copperleaf is so popular in the garden. They...

(Copperleaf, Copperplant, Java White Copperleaf, Wilkes' Acalypha)

The festive copperleaf, 'Java White', has greenish yellow to ivory green leaves mottled with irregular splotches of green. An evergreen shrub native to the Pacific islands, copperleaf bears bright foliage in many mixed colors. It is a popular landscape plant in subtropical and tropical zones and planted as a houseplant or annual in cooler zones. The name, Acalypha wilkesiana, honors Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, an American Naval Officer who explored the South Pacific during the mid-1800s.

Beautiful,...

(Copperplant, Louisiana Red Copperplant, Wilkes' Acalypha)

Louisiana Red copperplant is an evergreen shrub native to the tropical Pacific islands of Melanesia and has large, mottled bronze and red oval leaves and long, copper-green flowers. In cold climates it is often grown as an annual.

Plants prefer moist, humid conditions in full sun to partial shade. In cooler climates it is often grown as an annual, container plant or houseplant but in frost-free locations it can be used in a mixed hedge, shrub border or as a large specimen plant.

(Field Maple, Hedge Maple)

Tolerant of shearing, pollarding and hard pruning, hedge maple is a densely branched deciduous tree with excellent heat and drought tolerance. Historically, this slow-growing tree has been used to create large hedgerows along the roadways in its native Europe.

In early spring, small clusters of bright yellow-green flowers appear and develop into pretty dangling groups of samaras, or winged seeds to turn from light green to tan with a slight pink blush. The gently lobed, dark green leaves often...

(Dwarf Hedge Maple)

Hedge maple is a small and adaptable deciduous tree from Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. The cultivar 'Nanum' forms a globular shrub of about a third the typical height, and its three-lobed leaves are smaller and paler. The leaves often have red-tinted margins in spring. The foliage turns an attractive golden yellow in autumn, before changing finally to brown. It sometimes persists on the stem into winter. The bright yellow-green flowers are sparsely if at all produced and result in few...

(Hornbeam Maple)

Bearing leaves that resemble those of a hornbeam, this small deciduous tree from Japan is among the most refined and unusual maples. Sinuous smooth-barked dark gray branches with reddish twigs bear narrowly oval, toothed leaves with numerous pairs of lateral veins. The leaves turn gold or bronze-yellow in fall, then to brown, often persisting through much of winter. This dense, rounded tree bears chains of small greenish flowers in spring, followed by winged green fruits that mature to brown.

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(Rock Maple, Rocky Mountain Maple)

Native to rocky slopes and moist ravines through much of western North America, this small, hardy, relatively drought tolerant maple makes a good choice for low-maintenance landscapes within its native range. An upright, typically multistemmed shrub or small tree, it has three- to five-lobed, shiny, medium-green leaves that sometimes are divided into three leaflets. Fall color is a yellow to orange. Although rather sparsely branched and rangy in shady sites, it forms a much denser plant in partial...

(Douglas's Rock Maple)

Native to rocky slopes and moist ravines in far western North America, this small, hardy, relatively drought tolerant maple makes a good choice for low-maintenance landscapes within its native range. An upright, typically multistemmed shrub or small tree, it has shallowly three-lobed, medium-green leaves that turn a good yellow in fall. Although rather sparsely branched and rangy in shady sites, it forms a much denser plant in partial sun. Its greenish yellow flowers appear in early spring, followed...

(Japanese Maple, Weeping Japanese Maple)

Japanese maple is a beautiful and ubiquitous deciduous tree native to eastern Asia. The cultivar 'Omurayama' features a compact, gently cascading habit and palmate (hand-shaped), narrowly divided leaves. They turn bright orange and red in fall. The arching habit and gray bark are attractive throughout the year.

For most effective growth this maple prefers a semi-moist acidic soil and part shade. It is very versatile, working well as a garden specimen, in containers, or for bonsai. The cascading...

(Tatarian Maple)

The creamy green clusters of spring flowers and bright fall foliage of this small maple are pretty, and its small size and toughness lends it to urban landscapes with space constraints. It is also unusually hardy, so its well-suited to the harsh climates of the far north.

Tatarian maple is a small, bushy, deciduous tree that originates from eastern Europe and Asia. Its irregularly lobed green leaves turn colorful shades of red, yellow and orange in fall and in spring its branches bear clusters...