Acer Palmatum Dissectum Inaba Shidare

Acer Palmatum Dissectum Inaba Shidare is a dwarf Japanese Maple, and the name Shidare means cascading, if placed above a pond the leaves will cascade into the water, giving a weeping willow effect. An excellent complement to any Koi Carp Pond or Japanese Garden. If you keep it in a pot it can be made into a patio feature or a courtyard feature, think about its characteristics and build it in. Unfortunately it does not enjoy full sun, infact it prefers shaded areas. With that in mind, it is ideal in the corner with its back to a wall, in this case baby wants to be in the corner.

Inaba Shidare Crown Branch

If planted out it can reach a height of a meter and a half with a two meter spread, our Inaba Shidare pictured and featured in the video is still potted and after 30 years it is close to a meter high. The trunk is thick and the main branches go up and then droop horizontally, you can see in the image "Crown Branch" how strong it is. It has to hold all the smaller branches which cascade down. The smaller branches are thin and twiggy and hold a large network of leaves, the leaves are delicate and seem to weigh nothing, but just by the amount of number of leaves they pull the branches down, giving the cascading effect.

The Award winning Acer Palmatum Dissectum Inaba Shidare is part of the Sapindaceae family. more info and is one of the most spectacular in the Dissectum class and it has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It is native to Japan, China and Korea but it is hardy to the UK and European climates, it can withstand soil temperatures as low as -4, unlike most Japanese Maples where their root system freeze and never recover come spring.

Acer Palmatum Dissectum Inaba Shidare Spring Leaf

Acer Palmatum Dissectum Inaba Shidare Leaf Cluster

Acer Palmatum Dissectum Inaba Shidare has deeply cut dissected leaves, "dissectum" meaning the leaves are deeply divided and not webbed leaves. These leaves can be sub-lobed into 7 - 9 leaves and upto 6 inches in length.

In the spring the leaves start a deep red purple colour with some leaves having green veins which look spectacular in the breezy sun. The green fades into the summer and the leaves go slightly more of a purple red. In late September / October the leaves finally transform into a bright red with an orange tint, stunning.

The trunk bark, if visible, is a paper bark type which is lime green with a ripped off white effect. Its main strong branches are a plain red brown colour which have either a yellow green or a red brown soft branch leading to the leaves which cascade down.