small tree
Japanese maple 'Bloodgood'
Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hardy in zones 5–8, Japanese maple 'Bloodgood' is a slow-growing deciduous small tree. Expect 15–20 ft of height and 15–20 ft of spread; our lists space it 16 ft apart. It does best in part sun to part shade with average water. It is grown for its foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the anchor role: the one larger plant that anchors the back of a bigger bed. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'
- Plant type
- Small tree, deciduous
- Hardiness zones
- 5 to 8
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Needs good drainage; shelter from hot afternoon sun and wind.
- Mature size
- 15–20 ft tall × 15–20 ft wide
- Spacing
- 16 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Anchor
- Styles
- modern, classic
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; the maple toxicity concern (wilted red maple leaves) is for horses.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 7-gallon pot, typically $90–$160 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
- Pruning
- Prune lightly in late winter; remove crossing branches only.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Japanese maple 'Bloodgood', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Blazing starLiatris spicataperennial · zones 3–8
- Blue fescue 'Elijah Blue'Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'ornamental grass · zones 4–8
- Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen'Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Wintergreen'shrub · zones 4–9
- Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance'Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Catmint 'Walker's Low'Nepeta × faassenii 'Walker's Low'perennial · zones 3–8
- Dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica'Picea glauca 'Conica'shrub · zones 3–7
If you can't find it
Plants that do the same job and pass the same rules for the conditions Japanese maple 'Bloodgood' suits.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants