How big is field maple

The epitome of a hedge plant with a privacy factor

Field maple's rapid growth of up to 50 cm per year is limited to the youth phase. In the end, an Acer campestre can hardly prevail against strong competitors like the beech in the forest. Therefore, a Maßholder usually thrives like a bush. Only under ideal conditions and with a free space of 5 meters does it develop into a solitary tree.

The clever growth strategy qualifies the field maple as the perfect candidate for an opaque hedge. Even impatient gardeners do not put the deciduous shrub on the torture for long until it reaches the desired size. Thanks to a good-natured cut tolerance, you can regulate the height several times a year with the scissors. That is how it goes:

• Main cut: in late winter during the months of February and March
• Maintenance cut by a maximum of a third: shortly after St. John's Day at the end of June
• Topiary for a well-groomed appearance in winter: shortly after the leaves have fallen in autumn

If you have intended the field maple to function as a solitary, you should regularly peel the trunk in late winter and cut off competing shoots at the base. By nature, the wood strives for multi-stemmed growth, which requires a training pruning.

Famous field maple giants

Several giant trees testify to the impressive growth potential of a field maple. In the Bamberg district there is a 28 meter high Maßholder in front of the Ebrach Forestry Office. In Brandenburg near Buckow you can admire one of the highest Acer campestre in Europe, which stretches up to 31.7 meters towards the sky.