Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’

One of the darkest-leaved maples you can grow, and one of the most reliable. Those deep purplish-crimson leaves come through in spring and stay that rich colour right through summer, which is where ‘Crimson King’ stands apart from the plain-green Norway Maples.

It’s a substantial tree. Given time, 20 to 50 years, it reaches 8 to 12 metres with a wide, rounded crown. Small reddish flowers appear on bare branches in early spring, before the leaves unfurl.

Happy in full sun or partial shade, and not fussy about soil. Chalk, clay, loam, sand, it takes most of what our British soils throw at it. Best suited to larger gardens, open lawns, or avenue planting, where there’s room for that broad crown to spread.