Botanical name: Acer circinatum
Common name: Vine maple
Origin: Native from southwest British Columbia to Northern California, usually within 200 miles of the Pacific Ocean.
USDA zones: 6 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Drought tolerant once established but prefers a moisture-retentive soil
Light requirement: Morning sun and afternoon shade or dappled light all day
Mature size: Rarely exceeds 30 feet in its natural habitat; garden size is usually 12 to 14 feet tall and wide
Benefits and tolerances: The seeds and buds provide food for squirrels, chipmunks and numerous birds.
Seasonal interest: Year-round
When to plant: Spring or fall is the ideal planting time.

Photo by Walter Siegmund

Distinguishing traits. In their natural environment, vine maples grow as an understory small tree or large shrub under much taller forestry trees, such as Douglas fir and western red cedar.

The one shown here is tucked away within the forest at the edge of our property. Its wonderful sinewy branches are cloaked in moss, each contorted branch wrapping around its neighbor like a vine.

Spring highlights. Each pleated, bright green leaf slowly unfurls in spring like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. Dark red and butter-yellow flowers mature into two winged, scarlet seedpods called samara.

Photo by Walter Siegmund

Autumnal shades. Hillsides all around the Pacific Northwest region ignite in fall with the fiery color of vine maples. Adding these ornamental natives to your garden brings that same drama, with the bold shades of tangerine, gold and scarlet persisting for many months.

Winter silhouette. The smooth, olive-green bark is as beautiful as that found on any of the specimen Japanese maples and brings color to the winter landscape.

How to use it:
• As a transitional shrub between the ornamental garden and the more natural landscape beyond
• In a native plant design
• In an ornamental shade garden, where it will partner beautifully with ferns, hosta and bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabiis)
• As a specimen tree in the garden; it is especially suited to small spaces.

Vine maples are typically have multiple trunks, although you can occasionally find single-trunked trees. Select a form and shape that will work best for your space. Avoid planting wide-spreading multitrunked vine maples close to paths where their mature spread may be a problem.

Dwarf cultivars. There are several smaller cultivars of vine maple, including 'Little Gem', shown here. This looks spectacular in container gardens, especially where the orange fall color and red winter stems can take center stage in the color scheme.

The foliage of 'Little Gem' is a miniature version of its big brother — perfectly in scale with the petite tree.

Planting notes. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball but twice as wide. Backfill around the tree using the native soil mixed with some well rotted compost. Sprinkling bonemeal into the planting hole can encourage root development. Keep the tree well watered until it's established.

So whether you are looking for a small tree to add interest to a naturalistic shade garden, to help mark the transition from garden to the wilder landscape beyond or to have something different in your container garden this year, a vine maple could be the perfect answer. I can guarantee that if you add one, you'll soon be looking for an excuse to buy another.

More: 5 Amazing Small Maple Trees