Crimson Sentry Maple, Large Trees

Acer platanoides Crimson Sentry: Bareroot Norway Maple Trees in Standard Sizes

Acer platanoides Crimson Sentry is an ornamental Norway Maple variety. Compared to wild Norway maples, it grows slowly, and has a narrow, upright, oval shaped canopy, suitable for a medium-sized garden. The bright red young leaves darken through plum-wines in the summer and then go out in a blaze of reds and oranges in autumn. Its tidy form also makes it a good choice for an avenue. It looks great in mixed woodland where its rich foliage adds contrast to the green backdrop of other trees.
We grow another ornamental Norway Maple variety, the variegated Acer drummondii.

They can reach a height of about 9-10 metres, which is half the size or less than the wild species.

Browse our other Maple varieties, or all of our trees.

Delivery season: Maple trees are delivered bareroot during late autumn and winter, approximately November-March inclusive.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they are best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it is convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Features:

• Height: 10m
• Soil: Any with decent drainage, except very poor and dry
• Red young leaves turn plum-purple in summer
• Great red & orange Autumn colour
• Bareroot delivery only: November-March

Growing Crimson Sentry Maples

This hardy and unfussy tree will grow in almost any soil apart from peat or shallow chalk, and it won't thrive on very poor, dry soil. It loves clay and although it won't grow in wet soil, it doesn't mind a bit of winter waterlogging or flooding. It is quite shade-tolerant and totally pollution resistant.
It is suitable for very exposed locations, but not on the coast.

Other plants generally don't grow under it due to the shade it casts and the dense root system.

If the tree is stressed, it is susceptible to powdery mildew. Raking up leaves and removing them in Autumn will help, as will a rich mulch in Spring if your soil is on the poor side. Trees in full sun are typically much less affected, unless the soil is too dry, so watering mature trees in a drought is worthwhile. 

Notes on planting Acer Crimson Sentry trees:
Crimson Sentry grows well in chalk and heavy clay, but it will thrive in most UK soils, as long as they are not very wet or too sandy. It tolerates shade well, but because it is naturally quite slow growing, we recommend at least half a day of sun.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the site where you plant a tree several months in advance. Kill the weeds first: for tough weeds like nettles, brambles and ground elder, you will usually need a weed-killer to get rid of them. When you dig the soil over, remove stones and other rubbish and mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades.

Watch our video on how to plant a tree for full instructions.
Remember to water establishing trees during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Tree Planting accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass.
You can buy a tree planting pack with a wooden stake & rubber tie to support the tree and a mulch mat with pegs to protect the soil around the base of your tree from weeds and drying out.
We suggest that you use mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of all newly planted large trees: if your soil quality is poor, we strongly recommend it.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser.

Did You Know?

This tree was discovered as a sport of Acer platanoides Crimson King at A. McGill and Son Nursery in Oregon, and sold from 1974.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.