Japanese maple trees are fabulous additions to the landscape. With dazzling autumn foliage and attractive summer foliage to match, these trees are always worth having around. They are something of an investment though. Due to this, it’s important to make sure you have the right tree for your environment. Keep reading to learn more about growing Japanese maples in zone 7 gardens and how to select zone 7 Japanese maple varieties.
Growing Japanese Maples in Zone 7
As a rule, Japanese maple trees are hardy in zones 5 through 9. Not all can tolerate zone 5 minimum temperatures, but basically all can survive a zone 7 winter. This means that your options when selecting zone 7 Japanese maples are virtually limitless…as long as you’re planting them in the ground. Since they’re so showy and some varieties stay very small, Japanese maples are popular container trees. Since roots planted in a container are separated from the cold winter air by just a thin piece of plastic (or other material), it’s important to choose a variety that can take much colder temperatures. If you’re planning on overwintering anything outdoors in a container, you should choose a plant rated for two whole hardiness zones colder. That means that zone 7 Japanese maples in containers should be hardy down to zone 5. Luckily, this covers a lot of varieties.
Good Japanese Maple Trees for Zone 7
This list is by no means exhaustive, but here are a few good Japanese maple trees for zone 7: “Waterfall” – A cultivar of Japanese maple that stays green throughout the summer but bursts into shades of orange in the fall. Hardy in zones 5 to 9. “Sumi nagashi” – This tree has deep red to purple leaves all summer. In the autumn they burst into an even brighter shade of red. Hardy in zones 5 to 8. “Bloodgood” – Only hardy to zone 6, so not recommended for containers in zone 7, but will do well in the ground. This tree has red leaves all summer and even redder leaves in the fall. “Crimson Queen” – Hardy in zones 5 to 8. This tree has deep purple summer foliage that turns bright crimson in the fall. “Wolff” – A late budding variety that has deep purple leaves in the summer and brilliant red leaves in the fall. Hardy in zones 5 to 8.