Crimson Queen and Other Japanese Maple Varieties Compared

Which weeping red maple should I buy? Customers ask us this more than anything else about this group, and for most yards our answer is Crimson Queen. It gives you the arching, cascading form and deep red-purple laceleaf foliage that people picture when they say "weeping Japanese maple."

Tamukeyama, Garnet, Red Dragon and Inaba Shidare share the look. They differ in how upright they stand, how easy they are to find, and how often the tag matches the tree. Pick the wrong spot for any of them and the leaves crisp at the edges by August.

We'll walk you through the quick decision first, then Crimson Queen's size and color, how its closest rivals compare, and the light, soil and water all of them need.

Crimson Queen or Another Weeping Maple? Decide Here First

Match your site and your space to one of the lines below, then read the detail on that cultivar further down.

Choose Crimson Queen if you want: A signature weeping specimen with deep red laceleaf foliage, proven performance across zones 5-8, and dramatic color impact as a focal point. It's ideal for partial shade locations, Japanese and zen-style gardens, and poolside or pond-edge planting where the cascading form reflects in water.

Choose Tamukeyama if you want: Nearly identical characteristics to Crimson Queen but prefer to source from a specific grower or have a slight preference for extra scarlet intensity in fall color. It works anywhere Crimson Queen would thrive.

Choose Garnet if you want: Red laceleaf foliage and a Japanese maple look in a more compact, slightly upright form. It fits smaller yards, foundation plantings, and layered borders where a wide weeping spread would overwhelm the space.

Choose Red Dragon or Inaba Shidare if you want: To explore less-common cultivars within the dissectum weeping group. Confirm mature dimensions with your local nursery, as these are less standardized in the trade than Crimson Queen or Garnet.

Choose a green-leaf dissectum such as Viridis if you want: The same intricate lacy texture without the red pigment. Green types still scorch in hot, dry wind, so give them afternoon shade as well.

One of the most common questions we get is whether Tamukeyama is worth hunting down. For most yards, it isn't. Buy whichever of the two you can find from a grower you trust, and spend your effort on the planting site instead.

Crimson Queen: Size, Form and Color

Crimson Queen is the weeping red laceleaf we steer most customers toward. Here is what to expect from it, so you can plan the space before you plant.

Crimson Queen reaches a mature size of about 5 to 8 feet in both height and spread, and it can grow to about 10 feet tall and slightly wider. Plan for the larger figure, because the cascading branches make the spread match or exceed the height. Growth is slow, so expect 10 to 20 years to reach full size.

The leaves unfold crimson-red and settle to a deep reddish-purple, divided into narrow, deeply incised lobes. The burgundy foliage keeps its color all summer and turns scarlet in fall. Small purple flowers appear in spring, but they are not the reason to grow it.

Prune only dead or crossing wood. Crimson Queen falls in pruning group 1, which means little or no pruning is needed.

Pros:

• Reliably graceful weeping form with minimal pruning needed
• Excellent red color that holds well through the growing season
• Suitable for containers and patio planting as well as in-ground
• Long-lived when it is sited well
• Only mildly deer resistant, so protect young plants where deer browse

Cons:

• Slow growth means patience is required
• Requires regular, consistent moisture and is not drought tolerant once dry spells extend
• Vulnerable to verticillium wilt, a soil-borne disease that can be fatal
• Leaf scorch can occur in very hot, dry, windy conditions without afternoon shade, and late frosts can damage new growth
• Low salt tolerance makes it unsuitable near roads treated with de-icing salts

Learn more about caring for Crimson Queen year-round by reading our complete growing guide. For details on how big yours will eventually get, see our guide on mature size.

How Crimson Queen Compares With Tamukeyama, Garnet and Red Dragon

The table below sets the main red laceleaf cultivars side by side. Read the notes after it for the details that a table can't show.

Cultivar	Mature Height	Mature Width	Growth Habit	Hardiness	Foliage Color	Leaf Form
Crimson Queen	5-8 ft (some sources say up to 10 ft)	5-8 ft, slightly wider than tall	Weeping, cascading	Zones 5-8	Red-purple (spring), scarlet (fall)	Finely dissected, lacy
Tamukeyama	Similar	Similar	Weeping, cascading	Zones 5-8	Red-purple (spring), scarlet (fall)	Finely dissected, lacy
Garnet	Similar or slightly smaller	Similar or slightly smaller	Slightly more upright	Zones 5-8	Deep red (spring), crimson (fall)	Finely dissected, lacy
Red Dragon	Variable	Variable	Weeping	Zones 5-8	Red-purple, may bronze slightly	Finely dissected
Inaba Shidare	Variable	Variable	Weeping	Zones 5-8	Red-purple, may bronze slightly	Finely dissected

Tamukeyama: The Closest Alternative

If you visit multiple nurseries shopping for Japanese maple cultivars compared by weeping form and laceleaf foliage, you'll likely see Tamukeyama alongside Crimson Queen. The two are so similar that they're frequently mistaken for each other.

Tamukeyama is a weeping red laceleaf form that reaches roughly the same mature size as Crimson Queen. It has the same finely dissected, lacy leaf texture and emerges in red-purple before turning scarlet in fall. The hardy range is also zones 5 through 8. We often see the two mixed up at retail, so ask the grower how the plants were propagated if the name matters to you.

Pros:

• Virtually identical growth habit and foliage appearance to Crimson Queen
• Equally graceful cascading form when mature
• Fall color often described as slightly more vivid scarlet
• Same hardiness range and cultural needs

Cons:

• Availability can be more limited depending on your region and nursery
• Nursery staff may have difficulty distinguishing it from Crimson Queen in the field
• Subject to the same diseases and environmental stresses as Crimson Queen
• If you prefer one specific cultivar, ensure your nursery has labeled it correctly

For most home gardeners, Crimson Queen and Tamukeyama are close enough that the choice comes down to which is available locally and whether you have a personal preference for the nursery growing it.

Garnet: A More Upright Option With the Same Color Palette

Garnet is a Japanese maple cultivar that gives you the red laceleaf qualities many gardeners seek, but with a growth habit that's slightly more upright than Crimson Queen. This makes it useful if you want red dissected foliage but have less horizontal space or prefer a more vertical accent.

Garnet has finely dissected leaves like Crimson Queen, but the overall branch structure is less dramatically weeping. Mature dimensions vary by source and by tree, so treat Garnet as similar in size or a little smaller and confirm with the tag. The deep red spring foliage shifts to crimson in fall.

Pros:

• A slightly more upright habit that can suit a tighter bed
• Still delivers the red laceleaf aesthetic without the wide cascading spread
• Same hardiness zones (5-8) and cultural requirements

Cons:

• Less dramatically weeping form means loss of the signature cascading silhouette
• Reduced width at maturity may not suit designs where a wide umbrella of foliage is desired
• Color saturation and fall display are similar but not identical to Crimson Queen

Garnet is an excellent choice if you want red Japanese maple cultivars compared side-by-side with vertical layering priorities, such as for a small foundation planting or mixed border.

Red Dragon, Inaba Shidare and Green Dissectum Types

Beyond Crimson Queen, Tamukeyama, and Garnet, the Acer palmatum catalog includes several other weeping red laceleaf options. Red Dragon is recognized for its weeping habit and red-purple foliage, which can bronze slightly during intense summer sun or heat stress. Inaba Shidare follows a similar profile with a weeping form and dissected leaves that emerge in red-purple.

Both are hardy in zones 5 through 8 and share the cultural needs of Crimson Queen: rich, well-drained soil, consistent moisture, and afternoon shade in hot-summer climates. Exact mature dimensions for these cultivars vary more widely depending on growing conditions and age, so check with your nursery for specific expectations.

If you're exploring the full range of Japanese maple cultivars compared across the genus, you'll also encounter green-leaf dissectum types like Viridis, which have the same intricate leaf form but lack the red pigment. These offer year-round texture without the color commitment.

Crimson Queen Hardiness, Light, Soil and Water

These needs are nearly identical across the cultivars above, so one set of steps covers all of them. Start with your zone, then set up the site.

All the red laceleaf cultivars covered here share a hardiness range of zones 5 through 8, and the species is rated 5a to 8b. In the hotter part of that range, give afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch.

If you garden in zone 5, expect young plants to suffer winter dieback in severe cold, especially in their first few years. Once established, mature trees tolerate the cold reliably. In hot zone 8, put afternoon shade and consistent soil moisture first to keep the foliage healthy through summer.

You will often read that Japanese maples want deep shade all day. We don't plant Crimson Queen that way. The cultivar is listed for full sun to part shade, and deep shade tends to leave the color weaker and the crown thin. Give it morning sun and shade after about 2 p.m. Our light needs guide covers the trade-offs.

Whether you choose Crimson Queen, Garnet, or another dissectum cultivar, the soil and water profile remains consistent across these types of weeping Japanese maple. All require:

• Moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil (see our soil and drainage guide)
• Soil pH that is acid or neutral
• Regular, consistent moisture without waterlogging
• Afternoon shade in hot-summer climates to prevent leaf scorch
• Protection from salt spray and de-icing salt drift

Growth is slow for all these cultivars, so set your spacing at planting for the mature width, not the current size.

Buying Crimson Queen and Growing It in a Pot

Nursery-grown Japanese maple specimens are typically sold in quart, #1, or #3 containers. Crimson Queen is more widely available in most regions than specialty cultivars like Red Dragon or Inaba Shidare. If you have your heart set on a less common variety, expect to wait for availability or work with specialty nurseries. Read tags carefully, because some shoppers confuse Crimson Queen with the much larger Crimson King Norway maple.

Look at the crown before you buy. Pick a plant with a healed graft union near the base and an even, cascading crown rather than one lopsided on one side.

All these varieties suit container and patio planting provided the container has good drainage. Containerized trees in zones 5-6 may need extra winter protection for the roots, since containers offer less insulation than in-ground soil.

Quick Reference: Red Laceleaf Japanese Maple Cultivars

Use this table to match your main priority to a first and second choice.

Decision Criteria	Best Choice	Second Choice
Most dramatic weeping form	Crimson Queen or Tamukeyama	Red Dragon
Compact space (under 8 ft wide)	Garnet	Select Inaba Shidare specimens
Proven availability nationwide	Crimson Queen	Garnet
Vibrant fall color priority	Crimson Queen or Tamukeyama	Garnet
Specimen/focal point planting	Crimson Queen or Tamukeyama	Red Dragon
Zone 5 colder microclimates	Crimson Queen	Garnet
Hot zone 8 with shade available	Crimson Queen	Tamukeyama
Container or patio planting	Garnet or Crimson Queen	Inaba Shidare

Why Crimson Queen Is Usually Our Answer

For most yards, Crimson Queen is the weeping red laceleaf to plant. It holds its burgundy color through summer, turns scarlet in fall, and stays small enough for a bed or a large pot. Give it morning sun, afternoon shade, steady moisture and drainage, and leave the shears alone.

Our growers watch the same things with this plant through the year: late frost on new spring leaves, scorched edges on hot summer afternoons, fall color, and dieback on young trees in a hard winter. We're a small business with our own farms, and we grow and sell top-quality plants, including the Crimson Queens we'd plant ourselves.