Vine Maple, Mountain Maple 'Pacific Fire'

It he debate is A. circinatum 'Pacific Fire' vs. A. palmatum 'Sango Kaku' and they both have their own highlights... They both have nice ...Read Morecoral bark but Pacific Fire has a nicer neon coloring to it... If you want a graceful plant though go with Sango Kaku....
...Pacific Fire is a lot harder to find currently though.

My review is neutral in that I do not know how well this plant will perform in central Illinois, my sense is that it won't thrive at all ...Read Moreas it would out west given climate extremes. Its first summer in the ground was a rough one, planted on the cooler and shadier east exposure of a 2.5 story house.

Vine maples appreciate low humidity and low heat but our temperatures went to around 100 degrees and + for nearly a month solid. Temps over 90 provide a less favorable environment for these guys. The maple stuck through and rooted rather well and even attempted growing after a few of the leaves got fried from the heat. Coming out of our overly long winter/still winter season there was no dieback and its getting ready to bud out.

I am hoping that as it gets established it is better able to tolerate our weather extremes while enjoying its protected location out of hardcore midwestern weather. It is a great plant though, great leaf texture and color. Great bark in winter. This plant is an attempt to grow something in place of a coral bark Japanese maple with which stem blight issues were tremendous for me. If you live in a mild climate year round, this tree is highly recommended for yard.

Acer circinatum 'Pacific Fire' RED-BARK VINE MAPLE Dec (z5) (WNa)
A RED-winter-barked vine maple! whose "huge" leaves are tinted a...Read More lovely rose over green, this newcomer (an upright selection of the NW native), is special and very welcome. Sun-PSh/Med