Laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis'
Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Viridis' · Sapindaceae
A cascading mound of bright green, finely cut leaves, like a fountain of ferns, that turns gold and orange in autumn.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 10 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late April to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis'
The planner designed this bed around laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' when this page was made: a 30 × 14 ft (9.1 × 4.3 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' × 1, green leaves
- 2 Blue star creeper × 38, blue
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 67, yellow
- 4 Hollow Joe-Pye weed × 1, pink
- 5 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 6 Swamp milkweed × 4, white
- 7 Canadian burnet × 3, white
- 8 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 7, pink
- 9 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 10 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 11 Creeping Jacob's ladder × 34, blue
- 12 Golden ragwort × 43, yellow
- 13 Oriental lily 'Stargazer' × 6, pink
- 14 Camassia × 7, blue
- 15 Easter lily × 6, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do northern sea oats 'River Mist' and Gray's sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 15 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 34 of the 38 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is the plant there is most of: 67 of the 226. The scheme leans cool (blue and pink) and uses yellow for warmth, with cream, white and green to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 9 Excellent, 8 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The green laceleaf is fresher and cooler than the red ones and shows up better in shade. In winter the twisted, weeping framework is as good as the leaves.
- A weeping specimen for shade
- Japanese-style gardens
- Winter branch structure
What to plant with laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese painted fern: low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'Halcyon': bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis'
Does laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' need sun or shade?
Laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' be planted?
8 ft (250 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 10 ft (300 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 8 ft (250 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 8 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis'?
Laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' comes from Japan, Korea, and China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Yellow twig dogwood: the same job in a bed; 20 in shorter, 2½ ft narrower.
- Inkberry: the same job in a bed; 20 in shorter, 3½ ft narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' look like in winter?
Laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter branch structure. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' good for bees and butterflies?
Laceleaf Japanese maple 'Viridis' is visited by pollinators and moths.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of imperial moth feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
More Acer
- Coral bark maple Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku'
- Golden fullmoon maple Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'
- Japanese maple 'Bloodgood' Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'
- Laceleaf Japanese maple 'Crimson Queen' Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Crimson Queen'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 10 ft (300 cm) wide
- Plant
- 8 ft (250 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late April to early May; airy sprays; red
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Sapindaceae
- Comes from
- Japan, Korea, and China
- Attracts
- Pollinators, moths
- Host plant for
- Imperial moth
- Stands up to
- Rabbits
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.