Growth Rate
Slow
Moderate
Fast
Moderate
Moderate growth reported by Bluebell and Loen nurseries.
PUNGO MAPLES
Virginia Beach Japanese Maple Nursery
Orange Dream
Acer palmatum
● In Stock
Cultivar Description & Characteristics
Orange Dream is a popular upright cultivar celebrated for its luminous, bright orange spring foliage that immediately catches the eye. As summer progresses, the leaves transition into a pleasing chartreuse-green with subtle orange highlights on new tips. When autumn arrives, the canopy flares into brilliant shades of golden-yellow and bright amber. It is an exceptional choice for adding warm, glowing tones to mixed garden beds.
10-Yr Height
8.0
10-Yr Width
6.0
Seasonal Foliage Spectrum
Spring: Bright Orange
Summer: Chartreuse-Green
Fall: Gold and Amber
Sun Tolerance Ratings
Morning Sun
9 / 10
Afternoon Sun
6 / 10
☀️ Morning Sun Guidance:
Luminous, bright orange spring foliage immediately catches the morning eye.
☀️ Afternoon Sun Guidance:
Maintains chartreuse-green summer transition well under moderate sun exposure.
Image highlights cultivar traits and is not exact photo of available stock. Image is property of Pungo Maples, unauthorized use prohibited.
Get to know your maple
Growth Habit & Size
Upright
Bushy upright form becomes denser and more shrub-like with age.
What do these growth habit terms mean?
More than one term can apply. Branch direction, crown shape and size describe different characteristics, and the outline can change as a tree matures.
- Upright
- Main stems and branches emphasize upward growth. An upright tree can still develop a broad canopy.
- Spreading
- Branches extend outward to form a broad canopy. The tree does not have to be wider than it is tall.
- Weeping
- Branches or branchlets arch or hang downward. The tree can still have an upright trunk.
- Rounded
- The crown has a rounded outline. This describes the overall shape rather than the direction of each branch.
- Dwarf
- A cultivar with a smaller natural stature than typical forms of its species. Dwarf describes size, not branch direction or a fixed height limit; it does not automatically mean slow growth.
For example: Bloodgood can grow upright while developing a broad, rounded canopy with spreading branches.
Learn more: NC State plant forms · Bloodgood profile · RHS trees for smaller gardens
Roots & heritage
The story behind Orange Dream
- Cultivar origin
- Fratelli Gilardelli Nursery, near Milan, Italy
- Discovered / selected by
- Fratelli Gilardelli Nursery
'Orange Dream' is an Italian Japanese maple selection associated with Fratelli Gilardelli Nursery near Milan. Maple Ridge Nursery specifically places its selection there in the late 1980s, while Minier credits Gilardelli with its development before 1990. Maplestone Ornamentals separately identifies Gilardelli Nursery as its introducer. These accounts support distinguishing the nursery's selection work from subsequent commercial introduction, but an exact year for either event was not securely established. No documented controlled cross, named parents, or original collection accession was located. The reviewed sources therefore support nursery-level selection credit without assigning a hybridizer. Its horticultural appeal comes from luminous orange-yellow spring leaves that become yellow-green in summer, complemented by green bark and renewed warm foliage colors in autumn.
Explore the sources behind this story
Maple Ridge Nursery — selection at Fratelli Gilardelli Nursery, Italy, in the late 1980sMinier Nurseries — Gilardelli origin in Italy before 1990; seasonal foliage and green barkMaplestone Ornamentals — introduction credited to Gilardelli Nursery in ItalyDave Creech — introduction attributed to Fratelli Gilardelli Nursery near Milan in the late 1980sCN105519434A — Chinese micrografting method application concerning Orange Dream; not evidence of a patent on the cultivar itselfUSPTO Patent Public Search — official portal accessed; cultivar-specific registry results could not be retrieved; patent status unverifiedUSPTO Trademark Search — official portal accessed; cultivar-associated registration could not be verified; trademark field left null
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