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Acer palmatum Atropurpureum - height question

guttiesgutties Posts: 224
in Plants
I treated myself today and bought one of these from my local nursery; it's about 3 foot tall.

The ultimate height is stated at 4 - 8 metres, but I know they grow very slowly. 
I'm planting it in a new empty bed and am trying to work out how much space to give it now.  My thinking is that I could plant some perennials close enough to it now as they'll be long gone by the time the acer gets to any meaningful height.  Is that correct?

Would appreciate some thoughts on this?

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 25,252
    I know it seems slow. I thought that with my acer. But after about five years, I'm starting to get a little concerned.
    Make sure that you put it somewhere that it has room to grow.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • guttiesgutties Posts: 224
    @B3 How much room did you give yours?
  • B3B3 Posts: 25,252
    Not enough. I t was struggling in a container so I bunged it in the ground thinking it would probably die, and that if people grew them in containers, they wouldn't get that big. But it didn't die and then I looked on the internet and saw how big they could grow!
    I' m going to have to keep it pruned now. I don't mind. It's a lovely plant - but it is a tree.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,507
    They also spread a lot 
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,171
    A lot depends on which cultivar it is most Acers are grafted onto root stocks (in the same way fruit trees are) this will have a great bearing on its ultimate size, it may stay compact but as others have said they can get really big.
    AB Still learning

  • guttiesgutties Posts: 224
    It cost me £15
  • guttiesgutties Posts: 224
    I checked the label on mine this morning and the height is stated 2m - 3.5m.
    So hopefully it's not of the largest type.
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