Japanese Maples (Acer) are unsuitable for warm tropical and subtropical gardens. Colour foliage, as seen on social media and in books, fails to occur. Cold temperature is usually why they fail.
However, here is a good alternative.
Horticulturist Paul Plant highlights Breynia ‘Ironstone Range’.
#mapletrees #japanesemaple #alternative #gardendesign
living in the subtropics we often find that a lot of landscapers want plants that remind them of a cooler climate and there aren’t that many And quite often we find that some people just love the Japanese maple Now here is a plant I think is a really good alternative substitution for a Japanese maple if you live in a warmer area It is called the Binia Einstone range And the reason it is so good is that this plant keeps its foliage year round which is absolutely beautiful This dark burgundy red is stunning And yes there are a few caterpillars that eat the leaves but just have a look at it New growth is just amazing And it can be pruned into a very large shrub or left alone So at my place I’ve left it alone It’s about 3 m tall It looks absolutely stunning It’s like a small tree and it has this beautiful arching effect So it opens up and the branches are all at the top and it has this nice layered effect almost horizontal to then weep down a little bit It’s a delicate small tree It’s worth considering It’s also great for a shrub or a screening shrub if you want to prune it like a hedge So check it out at a local garden center Try to track it down It’s a great plant to consider The proper name is Binia spelled B R E Y N I A and the second name is ironstone range which I think relates to the area where they first found it So um a good plant to use I use it in my own garden A lot of landscapers are using it So give it a go if you have the space if you have the opportunity to add in some beautiful dark foliage to contrast with the rest of the green in your garden and also a great substitute for a Japanese maple for those who live in a warm climate