Acer Palmatum ‘Butterfly’ – Learn, Buy & Grow
This cultivar of Acer Palmatum is a deciduous hardy shrub or small tree with an upright nature. It is native to parts of Asia and Russia but is now cultivated widely in other regions.
Acer palmatum Butterfly can be grown from grafting or softwood cuttings and the best planting season is spring though it can be grown all seasons.
How To Grow And Care For Acer Palmatum Butterfly
Acer palmatum Butterfly
To grow the Acer Palmatum Butterfly, first, remove all weed and grass close to the planting site, then dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the root mass. Put the root mass in the hole and fill up the hole with a 50/50 mix of compost and soil. Water generously in its early years.
How big does Acer Palmatum Butterfly get?
It is an upright slow-growing tree reaching its maximum height of 7-12 feet in length and 4-8 feet in diameter only after 10-20 years.
Ideal Growing Conditions for Acer Butterfly
Just like other Acer palmatum trees, the Butterfly tree is a low maintenance plant and is easy to grow.
Acer palmatum ‘Butterfly’
Soil: The ideal soil type is moist, well-draining, and slightly acidic such as loamy, sandy, or chalk soil. A layer of mulch should be used to preserve moisture in the soil.
Water: The water needs of this tree are average. It should be watered regularly, especially in hot and dry seasons. In autumn, watering should be left to rainwater because its acidic nature is great for the foliage.
2ft Butterfly Acer Tree
Light: It partial needs only partial exposure to the sun, dappled sunlight since excess exposure can cause leaf scorch.
Pruning: Requires only minimal pruning and it should be done in its dormant season to avoid the tree bleeding sap.
READ: What should I plant with Acers?
Best Position for Acer Palmatum Butterfly
The best position to ensure it gets only partial sunlight is north-facing, east-facing, or west-facing.
What colour is the Acer Butterfly?
It is a compact tree with variegated green-grey foliage of 5-7 lobed leaves. Its leaves have cream and pink hue markings, and some may not have any markings too. The edges of the leaves turn to deep pink in autumn and the cream shades change to a vibrant scarlet before falling. The foliage creates a beautiful contrast against its tiny red flowers that would be inconspicuous if they didn’t come in numbers and its red fruits that form in late summer.
Further Reading
We have lots of other helpful content for Acers, such as common questions we have been asked such as:
- What should I plant with an acer?
- How is best to repot an acer tree?
- Do Acers prefer acid soil?
- Do Acers prefer ericaceous compost?
- When is best to prune Acer trees in the UK?
- How to take cuttings from acer trees?
- Do Acers lose their leaves?
- Acer leaf browning and diseases,
Other Acer’s you might be interested in
Acer Brilliantissimum, Acer Feeds, Acer Jerre Schwartz, Acer Altropurprueum, Acer beni maiko, Acer Bi Hoo, Acer Bloodgood, Acer bonsai, Acer Butterfly, Acer Deshojo, Acer dissectum, Acer dissectum Firecracker, Acer emerald lace, Acer fireglow, Acer garnet, Acer katsura, Acer little princess, Acer orange dream, Acer Osakazuki, Acer Phoenix, Acer Sango kaku, Acer Seiryu, Acer Shaina, Acer Shindehojo, Acer Skeeters Broom, Acer Taylor, Acer Trompenburg, Acer Ukigumo.
