Description:

A beautiful and colorful feature tree for the landscape; emerging leaves with purple tips mature to creamy white to green with dark green veins; stunning red and gold color in fall; needs protection from hot sun; some color variation possible

Ornamental Features

Ghost Dancer Japanese Maple is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its ornamental upright and spreading habit of growth. It has attractive light green foliage with dark green veins and tinges of creamy white. The lobed palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Ghost Dancer Japanese Maple is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ghost Dancer Japanese Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Ghost Dancer Japanese Maple will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This shrub does best in a location that gets morning sunlight but is shaded from the hot afternoon sun, although it will also grow in partial shade. Keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.