Roadside Red Blooms – Red Maples Showing Off This Spring

Red Maple in flower. Photo courtesy of Carrie Stevenson.

A month ago, when the Panhandle was covered in snow, it would have been hard to imagine that spring was just around the corner.  But warm spring weather has arrived, and with it, the first of our native trees to bloom each year – the venerable Red Maple (Acer rubrum).   Reliably heralding spring in Northwest Florida each February, Red Maples adorn our roadsides and low-lying natural areas with brilliant red blooms.  Spotting a Red Maple blooming amongst the otherwise drab landscape means winter is on its way out and spring has sprung – or will shortly.

Beyond the blooms, Red Maple has much to offer as a landscape tree.  For one, it is unbelievably adaptable.  Across its native range – one of the most expansive of any species in the US, occurring naturally from Maine all the way down to the Everglades,* the tree can handle soils that range from periodically inundated along streams and other wet areas to more well-drained upland sites.  Adding to its adaptability, in the Panhandle, Red Maple typically tops out around 40’ in height and around 20’ wide with a spreading vase shape, rarely growing out of scale with most landscapes.

*Since Red Maple occurs over a huge area of the US, it’s important to purchase seedlings or named varieties that hail from areas with like climate conditions to the Panhandle.  Avoid varieties from northern states for best performance. 

Red Maple is one of the few shade trees that has true four-season interest in our area.  We’ve already talked about its spring flowers, but it also has attractive deep green foliage in the summer (some selections, like ‘Summer Red’ are even known for reddish purple new growth), famous fall color (though it is more muted in Florida than locales farther north), and unique ridged light gray bark in the winter.  The seeds of Red Maple are even pretty.  These two-winged seed structures, called a samara, follow the spring flower show, appear pinkish red, and are a favorite of squirrels and other critters.

Red Maple samaras. Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.

Red Maple is a quick growing, low maintenance tree as well.  If planted correctly and properly cared for, the species can grow several feet per year in its youth.  Site the tree in a moist site that receives full sun, plant slightly higher than the soil level of the container the tree was purchased in to compensate for soil settling post-planting, and water regularly until established.  After establishment, periodic fertilizing with a balanced fertilizer will help ensure Red Maple’s nutritional needs are met and maximum growth achieved.

If you’ve been looking for a medium-sized, native, flowering shade tree with four-season interest, Red Maple may be just the tree for your landscape.  Plant one today!  For more information on Red Maple, other recommended landscape plants, or any other horticultural topic, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office.