Acer pseudoplatanus 'SIMON-LOUIS FRÈRES'

Sycamore maples are our native plants and their various cultivars, especially those with multi-coloured leaves, find their use perhaps in all types and sizes of gardens. Most required are slow-growing varieties exhibiting smaller size in maturity so that a small garden, too, can enjoy their beauty. Even though new sycamore varieties are not added very often, there is already a good range of them available in commerce nowadays.

Simon-Louis Frères is a beautiful sycamore maple variety from France introduced in 1881. Its leaves emerge bright pink and as they unroll and mature, each leaf becomes uniquely marbled white and green in various portions. They are deciduous, coarsely-serrate, 5-lobed, and have red stalks. In autumn they turn inconspicuous shades of bronze and yellow.

The tree grows slowly and in 10 years it is around 2-3 meters tall and half as wide. Mature size of 5-6 m can be expected in 30 years. The canopy is dense, evenly branched, rather symmetrical, and forms an upright, narrowly funnel-shaped habit. Thanks to its distinct colour we recommend combining it with green-leaved plants in the landscape to keep the garden elegant. It will become a perfect specimen tree of a small garden, a valued addition to a Japanese-style landscape, and will light up any solid green corner of your backyard.

This variety was raised in a French nursery of the same name, founded in 1769 by a French nurseryman Gabriel Simon on the outskirts of Metz in north-east France, near Nancy. After his death (1804), the business was taken over by one of his sons, Nicolas, who added the surname of his wife Elisabeth Louis to the name of the company, and ever since the nursery holds the name Simon-Louis Frères. For several generations the company grew and gained fame and reputation. Botanically passionate descendants were intensively devoted to the development of the nursery, published books, and were members of important associations. In 1913, the last heir of the Simon-Louis line, Léon, died and the nursery was taken over by the Jouin brothers, of whom Victor Jouin began working for them as an enthusiastic boy from the age of 14. After Léon's death he and his brother Eugene took great care of the company, and so did their descendants until 1980, when the company closed forever. Now, about a hectare of the original premises remains as a part of the Metz Botanical Garden.

It is widely soil adaptable, provided it is well-drained. Grow it in full sun. It can take air-pollution, cold and wind. Pruning is possible in frost-free periods of winter when sap is in the roots. Just bear in mind that the older the tree and the deeper you prune the longer branches the tree will produce the following season. Fully hardy to -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 17-11-2022