Red Maple
- Hardiness
- 3-9
- Mature size
- 40-70 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Pollination
- Very early red blooms feed the first bees of March
- Bloom season
- March (red haze before leaves)
- Harvest season
- Can be tapped for syrup (lower sugar than sugar maple)
Maple
Family Sapindaceae
Maples own autumn — the scarlet, orange, and gold that people drive hours to look at can stand in your own yard. This entry covers three: red maple for blazing fall reliability, sugar maple, the syrup tree itself, and Japanese maple for small-space sculpture.
Between the three there's a maple for zones 3 through 9 and nearly any yard, from full shade canopy to courtyard accent. One firm caution: wilted maple leaves can poison horses, so keep every maple out of pastures. Everywhere else, plant one and own the fall.
Moderate water
Which maple do you have?
Hardiness differs across the 3 maples in this guide, so pick yours and this panel answers for that one.
Enter it once; every plant page remembers.
Red Maple
- Mature size
- 40-70 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Pollination
- Very early red blooms feed the first bees of March
- Bloom season
- March (red haze before leaves)
- Harvest season
- Can be tapped for syrup (lower sugar than sugar maple)
Maple · Common problems
Common maple problems
Pests, diseases and weather to keep an eye on.
Nothing common enough to list for maple. Watch it like anything else in the garden, and check the plants growing next to it.
Maple · Which one do you have?
The 3 types this guide covers
Where these differ, the key facts above give the span across all of them. Each type’s own figures, as the catalogue records them:
Sugar Maple
- Hardiness
- 3-8
- Mature size
- 60-80 ft
- Growth rate
- Slow-Moderate
- Pollination
- Early bee forage
- Bloom season
- April
- Harvest season
- SAP: tap at 40°F days/20°F nights, late winter — 40 gallons sap = 1 gallon syrup
Japanese Maple
- Hardiness
- 5-9
- Mature size
- Dwarf 4 ft to 25 ft by cultivar
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Pollination
- Insignificant
- Bloom season
- Reddish spring samaras
Maple · Growing & propagation
Growing maple
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
Maple merges several types whose light, water and soil needs differ — the care groups and the growing playbook carry what applies to each.
How to plant & propagate maple
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Maple · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Calculators for the figures. Field guides for the hands-on work.
Maple · Yearly calendar
The maple year, month by month
What maple asks for, month by month.
No fixed season calendar for maple — its care follows conditions, not the calendar.
Maple · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Maple in the garden system
- Keystone: Keystone — hosts 290+ caterpillar species
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
What maple is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesTOXIC TO HORSES — wilted or dried leaves and bark (fresh leaves are not); about 1.5 lb is toxic and 3 lb can be lethal, and dried leaves stay toxic for around 30 days. Not a pasture tree. Llamas and alpacas are also susceptible; ruminants are not. · Caution around horses. Extension services implicate only RED maple, but in-vitro work found sugar maple leaf extract also oxidises equine red cells (Am J Vet Res 2002), and silver maple leaf toxicosis is clinically documented. Sources disagree — do not let horses eat wilted leaves of any maple. · No documented toxicity — but no trusted source affirmatively clears it either, so this is 'not known to be toxic', not 'known to be safe'. As with any maple, keep wilted leaves away from horses.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Maple · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a maple variety
Match the plant to your climate, season and available space.
Compare hardiness, mature size, growth habit, days to maturity and intended use in the seller’s variety description. Where this guide covers several plant types, start with the type you want to grow, then choose a variety for your season and space.
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Maple
The plant, at a glance.
- Plant family
- Sapindaceae
- Growth habit
- Tree · Perennial
- Invasive risk
- Low
Every garden is different.
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Maple questions, answered straight.
Is maple safe for kids and pets?
With care. TOXIC TO HORSES — wilted or dried leaves and bark (fresh leaves are not); about 1.5 lb is toxic and 3 lb can be lethal, and dried leaves stay toxic for around 30 days. Not a pasture tree. Llamas and alpacas are also susceptible; ruminants are not. · Caution around horses. Extension services implicate only RED maple, but in-vitro work found sugar maple leaf extract also oxidises equine red cells (Am J Vet Res 2002), and silver maple leaf toxicosis is clinically documented. Sources disagree — do not let horses eat wilted leaves of any maple. · No documented toxicity — but no trusted source affirmatively clears it either, so this is 'not known to be toxic', not 'known to be safe'. As with any maple, keep wilted leaves away from horses. Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate maple?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where maple sits in the library.
Apple
Peach
Plum
Pluot