Here are some Japanese maple varieties that grow well in Texas, according to Keith Johansson, owner of Metro Maples. For more information, see www.metromaples.com.

Photos by TOM FOX/DMN

Shaina Japanese maple

Shin Deshojo: A favorite for its brilliant spring color (the small leaves look like vibrant red blossoms), it's easy to grow. This semidwarf reaches a height of about 8 feet but can be pruned into an excellent bonsai or patio plant. Late spring leaves are a blue-green, with a second flush of bright red growth. Summer colors are mottled pink and green, and fall colors are yellow and red.

Beni Kawa: One of the newer coral, or red bark, varieties, this specimen grows more distinctive with age. Gold leaves with red veins can be showy for up to a month in the fall, and a sunny, cold winter promises colorful bark.

Viridis Waterfall: The fine cutwork on this laceleaf, or dissectum, makes the leaves beautiful enough, but it one-ups itself with glowing green color that is magnificent in a shady garden spot. And never content with its own wow factor, the tree grows in a mounding, cascading manner to about 8 feet.

Crimson Queen: This is one of the most popular maples because the red laceleaf is also one of the most beautiful. Its finely cut leaves and cascading branches give it a delicate and graceful character. It grows to 8 feet with a 10-foot-wide, umbrella-shaped canopy. Older trees develop a beautiful branching pattern.

Shaina: This red-leaf dwarf grows to only 6 feet. The deep-red spring leaves begin to turn maroon in summer, giving the tree a two-toned effect.

Bloodgood: The most popular of the red-leaf Japanese maples, this tree has palm-shaped leaves that turn dark purple-red in late spring. It grows 18 inches a year and can reach a height and width of 20 feet in as many years. It tolerates sun well and has a summer color of bronze green. Fall leaves are a brilliant red.

Fireglow: This red-leaf Japanese maple is known for holding its color in our heat. It grows only about a foot per year and matures at 12 feet. Summer color is orange-red (or bronze, in a very hot summer). Fall color is a brilliant red.

Osakazuki: The leaves are larger than those of most maples, perhaps the better to show off its colorful fall display. Spring leaves are a metallic green for about two weeks before turning a rich green.

Boskoop Glory: This Japanese maple does better in Texas than it does in Oregon, says Mr. Johansson. It starts with a wine-red color that holds for several months throughout the spring and summer till it takes an electric turn to fluorescent orange-red in the fall.

Red Dragon Japanese maple

Red Dragon: This new cultivar is a hardy, deciduous tree with deep red foliage. It will grow, slowly, to a height of 8 to 10 feet. In the fall, the leaves turn a deeper purple-red.

Orangeola: This cascading maple is the most heat-tolerant of all the laceleafs. The early spring red changes to a green-red mix in late spring. It loves pruning and shaping. Fall color is orange-red that can last a long time, depending on the weather.

Barbara Rodriguez