I'd like to plant a Japanese Maple in our atrium but I'm a little concerned about it growing to be too large for the space. The flower bed I'd put it in is only about three feet wide and runs along the interior atrium wall of the house. Does anyone have any experience with these trees in atriums?
I have a mature Japanese Maple in my atrium and and very happy with it. Not only is it beautiful, it shades the space in summer as well. It is not too large for the space. If you would like to see it, I live in Concord. Contact me at [email protected]...................
There are hundreds of varieties of Japanese Maples, ranging from tiny dwarves that grow a foot or so high, to huge trees that probably will be too big for your space. Choose the right variety to get the right size. A brief intro can be found at:
http://www.worldplants.com/mapleintro.htm
-Andrew
We have one in our atrium and it has done quite well. I have seen them in many homes and they always look great. You can also prune it annually to keep it from getting too large but there are many species which stay small and tame. Just do your homework and you shoud be happy.
I have two Japanese maples in my atrium. One is several decades old, one is 5 years old. You can prune maples and keep them the same size over their entire mature lifespan, so size is not an issue. Maples don't like wind, so the atrium is good in that respect, but some cannot tolerate full shade so don't plant on a north facing wall under an overhang. Also, watch for aphids in the spring, atrium plants tend to be readily infested with insects due to the sheltered nature of the location.