Simon-Louis Freres is a popular medium-sized maple, characterised by its spectacular variegated leaves.
The leaves emerge in spring with an unusual dusky pink colour, and fade to a variegated green / cream over summer, finally taking on brick-red tints in the autumn.
As with all forms of the species Acer pseudoplatanus the greenish-yellow flowers which appear in April and May have little ornamental value - but they produce large quantities of pollen and nectar and are very popular with bees.
Like all maples, Simon-Louis Freres is an attractive well proportioned tree. It is slow-growing, and not likely to get too big.
This is a cold-hardy tree that will tolerate difficult conditions, including polluted urban streets or exposed locations. However for best results plant in a sunny open situations, and periodically prune back shoots to encourage younger growth which has the best colour.
Illustrative example of a pot-grown tree of this variety as supplied. Approximate girth: 6/8cm. We try to keep all pot-grown trees down to about 1.5m as supplied, but some may be larger. Trees should reach their mature height after about 10 or more years.