Autumn Flame Red Maple
One of the best aspects of the Autumn Flame Red Maple (Acer rubrum "Autumn Flame") is that, as a native to North America, it thrives in most continental climate zones. This means that just about everyone in the United States and Canada can enjoy this maple's amazing autumn leaves. The star-shaped leaves of the Autumn Flame maple burst into a yellowish red hue in the fall, and have a way of seemingly lighting the area around them.
Even once they've fallen, the leaves of the Autumn Flame maple manage to color the ground for several days. Since some varieties of the tree can grow to heights of 60 feet (18.3 meters) and spread as wide as 50 feet (15.2 meters), this beautiful carpet of leaves can be substantial. Even better, this type of red maple tends to hang onto its leaves longer than other maples, so you'll have more time to watch them fall [source: University of Florida]. Be sure to plant the Autumn Flame maple in a part of your yard that gets lots of rain, as these trees love water. They're worth any extra irrigation you may have to undertake.
Want to see more ideas for planting in the flall and winter, click HERE for Cascadegardens.com
