Hi all, does anyone know the hardiness of this evergreen maple? I know it's native to southern Europe along the mediterranean.... but I'm not sure about it's hardiness. Anyone have oe of these growing in their garden? What experiences/knowledge do you have about it?
This is a lovely tree. I can say, from experience, that it is not hardy in USDA zone six, -5 to -10 F winter temperature (-23 C). It did survive in a pot in my cold basement, where the temperature never fell below 25 or so F (-4 C), and then only for short periods (when I accidentally left the door open, or my son, or the cat, pushed the door open). I would guess that it isn't at all hardy in regions colder than USDA zone 7, where it doesn't fall much below the freezing point for very long. But my experience is very limited, and perhaps not typical. If it gets much colder than the freezing point, and stays there for very long, I suspect it won't flourish. I'd be interested in hearing about others experience, in Britain, France, and Italy. D.
cool! When I first read about it, I thought it was really neat that there exists an evergreen maple....green maple leaves all year.... I'll definitely have to give this one a try if I can get my hands on it. We're realistically zone 7b here or 8a in some microclimates, so should be ok I think.
Two long-established examples of Cretan Maple hardy in Seattle but not fully evergreen, leaves small. For a hardy, evergreen maple with more impressive leaves try to get Syrian Maple (A. obusifolium). May be listed by nurseries as A. orientale*. One in Seattle had reached 16'+ by several years ago. *A. orientale has also been used for A. sempervirens
