Cold winters don't have to mean giving up on Japanese maples. While some cultivars are best suited to mild climates, many Acer palmatum, A.japonicum, and A. shirasawanum varieties are remarkably cold-hardy — performing beautifully in Zone 5 and even Zone 4 conditions where winter temperatures regularly drop to -20°F and below.
After more than 30 years of growing and grafting maples at our Northern California nursery, we've learned which varieties genuinely shrug off hard freezes and which ones merely tolerate them. The trees in this collection are the ones we'd confidently recommend to gardeners in the Upper Midwest, New England, the Pacific Northwest, and anywhere else where winters bite hard.
Acer japonicum varieties tend to be among the most cold-tolerant maples we grow, along with select Acer palmatum cultivars like Bloodgood and Fireglow that have proven themselves across decades of cold-climate planting. Dormant trees also ship exceptionally well in winter months, making this a great time to order if you're in a cold region.
All trees are expert-grafted and container-grown, and shipped nationwide
every Monday. Free shipping on orders over $99.
Acer sieboldianum Seki no kegon
A. japonicum Aconitifolium 'Dancing Peacock'
Acer circinatum Burgundy Jewel
Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum'
Acer pseudoplatanus Esk Sunset