Acer palmatum ‘Fairy Hair’ Japanese Maple

‘Fairy Hair’ is a rare, highly unusual tree with the narrowest leaves of the threadleaf Japanese maples. It is a true dwarf that makes an excellent specimen tree for a rock garden, fairy garden, container, or bonsai. It was discovered by Talon Buchholz of Bucholz & Buchholz Nurseries in Oregon as a seedling from the cultivar ‘Scolipendrifolium’ and introduced as part of the Flora Wonder™ Collection.
This tiny tree is very slow-growing — only a few inches a year — attaining a height of 2.5′ × 1′ in 10 years. Its string-like leaves emerge as fresh, pale green with a hint of red in the spring, transitioning to bright green in the summer. In the fall, the leaves turn a fiery, crimson red, leaving red twigs and branches visible throughout the winter after the leaves drop. Honeybees and other pollinators visit the reddish-purple flowers that dangle from the branches in spring. The flowers mature into winged samaras in the summer and fall and are eaten by chipmunks, squirrels, and other animals, especially when food is scarce.
‘Fairy Hair’ is an incredibly hardy, resilient tree that is humidity-tolerant and deer-resistant. Like most Japanese maples, it will grow in either full sun or partial shade, doing better when protected from the hot afternoon sun in the southern part of its 5 to 9 hardiness zones. It prefers loose, moist, organically rich loam, amended clay, or sandy soils that are well-draining. Water it well at planting and then weekly, especially during hot, dry times, to keep the soil evenly moist while the roots are establishing. Even though it needs moisture, ‘Fairy Hair’ will not thrive in saturated conditions. Avoid locating it in low, soggy areas that don’t drain well.
This tree does well in sun or partial shade and moist, well-draining soil, so companions planted nearby need to have the same or similar requirements. And since the tree is so compact with whisper-thin leaves, it needs space around it to be appreciated and not crowded in with other plants.
Dwarf conifers, yew bushes, and hollies present a solid-colored backdrop for the tree. Flowering shrubs provide color and texture nearby, such as hydrangeas, abelias, weigelas, azaleas, rhododendrons, nandinas, and cherry laurels. And perennials, like hostas, ferns, ajuga, periwinkle, and pachysandra, grace the area under and around the tree with a living carpet. Before the leaves unfurl in the early spring, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, snowdrops, and squill bring a cheerful pop of color nearby.