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An Overlooked Underdog

Flame Amur maple might be a little scruffy, but it has moments of fiery glory—and some perfect spots in the landscape.

Unsung and perhaps underappreciated, Flame Amur maple (Acer ginnala ‘Flame’) is a good fit for the urban landscape provided you like your plantings on the textural, dare I say shaggy side. Which isn’t to say this tree doesn’t have flashes of landscape brilliance. 

“The species is definitely tough,” says Douglas Justice, Associate Director of Horticulture and Collections at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden and a longtime member of the Trees and Conifer selection committee for Great Plant Picks. “Amur maple is a good performer in many parts of North America, and some trees in the Pacific Northwest might even be considered handsome.” Some people may call that faint praise, but Justice goes on to say, “Personally, I wouldn’t want to be without it.”

Read the entire story in the link below

GROW in The Seattle Times