Maple trees are gorgeous plants that are found in temperate climates around the world. Their seeds are beloved of children, who toss them up into the air and watch them spin to the ground. Their fall colors make them particularly striking: oranges, reds, and yellows echo across the cool deciduous forests, gracing the trees and the ground. These leaves turn into homes for invertebrates and finally into soil, building nutrients for the next generation.
Where Do Maples Live?
In the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest, bigleaf or broadleaf maples (Acer macrophyllum) grow in disturbed areas. Often, these areas are beside rivers where other trees have been pushed down and the light streams in. These light-filled conditions are ideal for these big maple trees. Broadleaf maples prefer to live within 200 miles of the Pacific Ocean, in the damp climate created by the rain clouds that push up and over the mountains.
For a deciduous tree, the vine maple (Acer circinatum) is unusual in its site preference. It loves to grow in the shady, cool, and damp understory of the temperate rainforest.
Characteristics of the Vine Maple
The vine maple is a colourful maple. It has rounded leaves that turn gloriously bright shades of yellow, orange, and red in the fall. The bark is green, and during most of the year the leaves are a light green. This allows the plant to photosynthesize through both its bark and leaves, which means that it can live in shady locations.
The shape of the vine maple is very unlike that of most trees, and some classify it as a shrub. Most trees have a single stem, but in a vine maple multiple stems come out from the roots.
Characteristics of the Broadleaf Maple
The broadleaf maple is a more traditional-looking tree with a single large stem. Its giant leaves can be over a foot across, and while their fall colors are not as stunning as those of the vine maple, what they lack in intensity they make up for in size. The seeds of the broadleaf maple are large and you will notice small maples popping up far beyond the direct vicinity of the maple tree.
A venerable broadleaf maple will gradually grow moss on its bark. This moss is perfectly natural. Small ferns called licorice ferns (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) grow in the moss. The soil and the moss on top of it provide a place for the licorice fern to grow, and water drips down the tree bark into the moss.
Growing Maples in Pacific Northwest Wetland Gardens
To grow the vine maple, choose any damp, shady place in the wetland garden. This tree is used to growing under other trees. The vine maple can spread out in a leggy fashion with its multiple stems, so this maple is best placed in a wild and unused corner of the garden where you can see its foliage in the fall. The vine maple will typically grow from 15 to 20 feet in height.
The broadleaf maple is suitable for large gardens. It is a full-sized tree and loves light, and it can be the dominant feature of a yard. The broadleaf maple grows to a height of at least 50 feet, and it has a single trunk. Remember that the tree will lose its large leaves in the fall, so it is best to plant this tree in a riverside garden rather than beside a pond, where the leaves will clog filters.
Maple trees are a beautiful addition to any damp or riverside garden. The Pacific Northwest maples are two very different species: one shrubby, with stunning foliage, and the other tall and graceful.
Tricia Edgar - Tricia Edgar is a gardener, environmental educator, and science writer from the Pacific Northwest.
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