Acer palmatum 'Helena' was introduced by Dick van der Maat, a Nederlands nurseryman with a good reputation among the maple community. It is dwarf to semi-dwarf with twiggy growth on older wood and upright in habit. Said to reach up to 3 metres (10 feet) in height but this will obviously vary depending on cultural conditions and how vigorous of a rootstock it is grafted on to. Leaves are deeply divided and 5 to 7 lobed - they are said in Vertrees/Gregory 4th edition to be palmatum group but I would not be surprised if it turned out they have some matsumurae in their DNA. This tree is one I bought for my mother a few years ago to remember her late friend Helen, and is grown in a pot in her garden. The growth is very upright and I may have staked it when the original young graft sent out a whippy leader, but not 100% sure on this. Since the early days there has been no other pruning or training whatsoever, so the upright habit shown in the first picture is an accurate representation of what is achievable with this cultivar with minimum intervention. Spring colour is peachy or coppery tones with the veins being lighter - I couldn't find a picture from spring, but as of now (1st of July) the second flush is very evident and provides a good indication of the spring colour. Autumn colour is good, pictures will follow in a few months. First picture shows the shape of the tree; excluding the height of the pot it is about 1.3m (4 feet and 4 inches) and the width is surely no more than a third of this, maybe even a quarter. Second picture shows leaves at top of tree exposed to sun for a good portion of the day with green old growth and colourful second flush leaves. Third picture also shows the contrast between new growth and old leaves, in addition to highlighting the twiggy growth lower down.
It was repotted last year and has filled out some while still retaining the tall, slim profile. From the close-up of the fresh new leaders you can see how much the branches like to grow upwards.
