Red maple

* Common name: Red maple

* Botanical name: Acer rubrum

* What it is: A moderately fast-growing Pennsylvania-native shade tree best known for its brilliant red (sometimes red/gold) fall foliage. Leaves are wide and three-lobed with pointed tips, emerging red-tinged in spring before turning green for the summer.

* Size: 40 to 50 feet tall, 30 to 40 feet wide in 20-25 years.

* Where to use: One of the best native shade trees for home landscapes, so long as the planting site is large enough to support a tree of this size. Makes a nice fall-interest specimen to look at out a back window – or out a front window if the front yard is big enough. Red maples prefer damp, slightly acidy sites and are fairly tolerant of wet soil. Once established, they’ll also tolerate drier sites. Full sun to light shade.

* Care: Keep the roots consistently damp the first 2 to 3 seasons, then soak deeply once a week in droughts. Remove lowest limbs as the tree grows. Also remove any crossing or unwanted branches, ideally in late winter when the tree is leafless. Fertilizer usually not needed, especially if you’re fertilizing a lawn nearby.

* Great partner: Pennsylvania sedge is a good native grassy underplanting. Russian cypress, yew ‘Repandens’ and dwarf nandina are good evergreen underplantings. St. Johnswort or deutzia ‘Nikko’ or ‘Yuki Snowflake’ make good shrub underplantings.