Acer palmatum ‘Mystic Mikawa’ Japanese Maple

‘Mystic Mikawa’ Japanese maple is a spectacular new dwarf seedling of ‘Mikawa yatsubusa.’ It is so small that it’s perfect as an accent tree for limited spaces or rock gardens, fairy gardens, containers, or as a bonsai. It was discovered and introduced by Crispin Silva of Crispin’s Creations in Molalla, Oregon, and is still rare in the trade.
This tiny tree has a tightly layered growth habit like its ‘Mikawa yatsubusa’ parent. Its deeply cut, serrated leaves emerge as orange-pink in the spring, then transition to green in the summer, turning bright orange-red in the fall. It grows very slowly and will reach dimensions of 3′ wide × 3-4′ high in 10 years, making it an excellent choice for small gardens and containers. Like all Japanese maples, the small, red, winged samaras develop in the spring and mature during the summer and fall, enjoyed by squirrels, chipmunks, and other small animals. Deer, however, tend to leave the tree alone.
‘Mystic Mikawa’ is an easy-care tree that needs minimal maintenance. It grows best in bright shade or partial sun and needs protection from the hot afternoon sun in the southern areas of its 5-9 hardiness zones. It grows in a variety of soils, like sand, silt, amended clay, or loam, with neutral to slightly acid pH. It needs to be consistently moist but never in soggy soil. Water it when you plant the tree, and then weekly for at least one year until the roots are established. Avoid planting it in low areas that collect water or become saturated in rainy weather.
Companions planted nearby need to have the same or similar cultural requirements as ‘Mystic Mikawa.’ Since it is such a small, slow-growing tree, it needs enough space to be highlighted and not obscured by other plants and trees. In a rock garden, it does well with evergreens, such as small junipers, Dwarf Alberta spruces, Japanese hollies, and dwarf false cypress. Its light-colored leaves stand out in larger, mixed gardens against the dark green of hollies, spruces, pines, hemlocks, and firs. Flowering trees and shrubs, such as dogwoods, Japanese andromedas, hydrangeas, abelias, weigelas, rhododendrons, and azaleas, are attractive when planted near the tree.
Lilyturf, lithodoras, hellebores, and spring bulbs bring a pop of color around ‘Mystic Mikawa’ in the early part of the year. As spring blossoms into summer, creeping phlox, hostas, astilbe, lilyturf, creeping Jenny, periwinkle, lungwort, and coral bells provide a contrast of color and texture nearby. Then, in late summer to fall, asters, Japanese anemones, goldenrods, and autumn coral bells bloom as ‘Mystic Mikawa’ dons its fiery orange-red leaf color