Maple, October Glory

October Glory Maple (Acer rubrum 'October Glory')

October Glory is a selected red maple with a rounded shade canopy and orange-red autumn foliage that often develops later than other red maples. Give it the space of a full-sized shade tree rather than treating it as a compact ornamental.

Key Characteristics

Flowers and Winged Wildlife Seeds

Small red flowers appear before the leaves. October Glory is a female selection and can produce red-tinged winged seeds when compatible red-maple pollen is available. Another October Glory clone does not provide a different pollen source. No companion is needed just to enjoy its shade and fall color.

Part of a Maple Food Web

Red maple flowers are visited by bees, and maple foliage supports imperial moth larvae. Birds and squirrels use the winged seeds when a crop develops. Retain connected shrub cover nearby where the goal includes habitat rather than only a lawn tree.

Plan for Surface Roots

Choose moist, slightly acidic soil in sun or partial shade. Surface roots can compete with lawn and lift paving, so provide clearance from walks and drives. Red maple leaves can poison horses when wilted or dried; keep the tree and its prunings out of horse forage. Autumn color depends in part on growing conditions.

Product Details

• Species ancestry: A cultivated selection of eastern North American red maple.
• Sun: Full sun to partial shade.
• Soil: Moist, slightly acidic soil; medium to medium-wet.
• Mature height: About 40–50 feet; crown roughly 30–40 feet wide.
• Bloom: Small red flowers in early spring, often March–April locally.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 4–9.
• Fruit: Red-tinged winged samaras when pollinated; not a seedless cultivar.

Planting and Ongoing Care

Water the root ball thoroughly at planting, keep mulch away from the trunk or crown, and water through dry spells while roots establish. Check for circling roots before planting and protect the root zone from mowing damage.