All-Star Plants
Redpointe® Maple Acer rubrum ‘Frank Jr.’
Members of the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois will be the exclusive provider of content for the Plant All-Stars page during 2016.
By Jr. Tecza
Some plants
— just like All-Star athletes — make everyone around them look better. What’s a plant you can use — and recommend — with confidence? We’ve asked ILCA members — who are also members of the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois — to share their thoughts on proven performers. Redpointe®Maple consistently delivers the brilliant red fall color that people are looking for in a red maple. Redpointe colors early and can be depended on to provide brilliant fall color year after year. But I think there are lots of reasons to like this tree throughout the year. In summer, the leaves are deep green—a little smaller and more refined than Acer x freemanii. Unlike other red maples, Redpointe doesn’t get chlorosis when planted in our high pH soils. That means the leaves also don’t burn along the margins, giving the foliage a fresh look all summer. Redpointe also has superior resistance to anthracnose, spider mites and leafhoppers-more points in its favor. I like Redpoint® even when it doesn’t have any leaves, though. It has nice grey bark and a very attractive habit. Its strong central leader gives it a symmetrical canopy, without requiring shaping or pruning. Redpointe is a nativar—Acer rubrum is an Illinois native. That’s another point in its favor. This tree is a little faster growing than other red maples--similar to freemanii. This tree transplants easily. In fact, although I normally only dig red maples in spring, this year we experimented with digging some in fall to help keep the trees in inventory. We’ll see how that works out. It can handle tougher spots, although I’d keep it out of heavier, clay soils. It does best in moist, well-drained soils, and lower pH is better. Redpointe® is an introduction by J. Frank Schmidt & Son. They put in a lot of work to come up with this improved selection, and I consider it an All Star Plant.
Acer rubrum ‘Frank Jr.’ Redpointe® Maple facts—
JR. Tecza
Size: 45’ tall with spread of 30’
Ornamental Features Attractive grey bark; strong central leader with symmetrical canopy
Foliage Deep green (smaller & more refined than Acer x freemanii); consistently brilliant red foliage
Culture Sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil. Resistant to chlorosis, spider mites, leaf hoppers and anthracnose.
Jr. Tecza is past president of the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois. He has been in the nursery business since he graduated from University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign in 1989 with a Bachelor’s degree in ornamental horticulture. He joined Hinsdale Nurseries in 2006. In 2013 he became nursery manager of the company’s 600-acre Little Rock Farm near Plano.
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Nursery Manager, Hinsdale Nurseries, Inc.
The Landscape Contractor July 2016