• Emperor Japanese Maple
  • Emperor Japanese Maple
1 2

Emperor Japanese Maple

Emperor Japanese Maple

The Emperor Japanese Maple is a stunning ornamental tree admired for its rich burgundy-red foliage, elegant branching, and ever-changing seasonal beauty.

$99.95
$129.95 $99.95
Sale Sold out
Select starting tree height:
Please Note: This product can not be shipped to AZ, OR
View full details

Emperor Japanese Maple Treebute

Strong, Upright, and Steady: A Living Tribute Whose Color Holds

The Emperor Japanese Maple offers deep red, hand shaped leaves that hold their rich color through the heat of summer, then deepen to a glowing red-orange in fall. Known for grace, endurance, and quiet strength, this hardy outdoor tree becomes a living memorial you can nurture and watch grow, season after season.

Each Treebute is a complete memorial tree kit designed to be planted at home, a hands-on ritual that many people find grounding and emotionally healing. The simple act of planting gives your hands something purposeful to do while creating a living connection to the one you love.

Why You'll Love the Emperor Japanese Maple

  • Rich Seasonal Color: The Emperor keeps its deep burgundy red all season, then turns a brilliant red-orange in fall.  
  • Upright and Full: Emperor grows into a graceful, upright tree of about 12 to 15 feet. It grows a little faster than most Japanese maples, so you see it establish and fill in.
  • Hardy and Forgiving: Emperor is one of the most resilient Japanese maples. It leafs out about two weeks later than similar varieties, which helps it avoid late spring frost, and it tolerates sun and heat with little fuss. Reassuring for first time growers.

Each Treebute Kit Includes

✓ Hardy tribute tree (size you select)
✓ Step-by-step planting & watering care guide
✓ Personalized memorial message

➕ Optional Add-Ons (Customize Your Treebute Kit)

○ Planter (choose your style & size, where suitable)
○ Premium potting mix (for container planting)
○ Treebute® cremation-safe organic soil blend (for ashes, if and when you're ready)

    Many customers plant without ashes, and that's just as meaningful.

One thoughtfully packaged kit. Everything arrives together, ready to plant.

Nurturing Your Tribute Tree

Even if you're new to planting, the Emperor Japanese Maple is rewarding to grow with a little thoughtful care.

  • Light: Prefers a location with morning sun or filtered light, especially in warmer climates.
  • Water: Keep the soil evenly moist while the tree becomes established, then water during extended dry periods.
  • That's it: A sheltered location with well-drained soil helps this tree flourish and showcase its beautiful foliage for many years.

Each moment caring for your tree becomes a quiet act of remembrance.

Optional: Plant with Cremation Ashes – The Treebute® Difference

For those wishing to incorporate cremation ashes, your kit includes the option to add our Treebute® organic soil blend. This specially formulated mixture creates a safe, nurturing foundation for your tree while helping support healthy growth.

Your tree is meaningful with or without ashes. This is simply another way to honor the one you love.

Learn more about our cremation-safe formula.

A Living Memorial That Grows With You

Finding a meaningful way to honor someone you love can feel overwhelming. The Emperor Japanese Maple Treebute offers something different, a living expression of love that grows more beautiful with each passing season. It gives your hands something to do and your heart something to hold.

The act of planting creates meaning. The growth creates hope. The tree creates a place to remember.

Plant Specifications:

Botanical Name:
Acer palmatum Wolff EMPEROR 1®
Growth Rate Value:
Moderate
Mature Height Value:
12-15 ft.
Mature Width Value:
12-15 ft.
Sunlight Value:
Part Sun
Does Not Ship To:
AZ, OR
Growing Zones:
5-8 outdoors

You Might Also Like

What if they're not ready to plant right away?

The kit includes simple instructions to care for your tree until planting time. Many customers plant on a significant date, a birthday, an anniversary, or another day that feels right.

What's included in a Treebute Kit?

Each kit includes a young, healthy Emperor Japanese Maple tree, a step-by-step planting and watering care guide, and a personalized memorial message. One thoughtfully packaged kit, everything arrives together, ready to plant.

Can I grow it in a container or indoors?

The Emperor Japanese Maple is an outdoor tree. It is hardy and heat tolerant, and it can be grown in a large container on a patio for several years before it moves to a permanent spot in the ground.

Can I plant a memorial tree with cremation ashes?

Yes. Treebute Kits offer the option to add our Treebute organic soil blend, specially formulated to safely mix with cremation ashes and offset their naturally high pH and sodium, creating a nurturing foundation for healthy tree growth. It works for a person's or a pet's ashes.

How big does it get, and how long will it live?

The Emperor Japanese Maple grows into an upright tree of about 12 to 15 feet tall and wide. Japanese maples are long lived, flourishing for decades, and many live far longer with good care, becoming a living memorial that deepens with time. You can also keep it smaller with simple pruning.

Is this easy to care for? We're not experienced gardeners.

Yes. Emperor is one of the hardiest and most forgiving Japanese maples. It leafs out later in spring, which helps it avoid late frost, and it handles sun and heat well. It needs little more than the right light and watering when the soil feels dry, and every kit arrives with a clear, step by step guide.

Need guidance? Contact us anytime. We’re happy to help.

Can I plant ashes without any special soil treatment?

We strongly advise against it and doing so will void the Warranty. Planting cremation ashes directly with a tree, without proper treatment, can stress or even kill the plant. The high sodium and pH levels create conditions that are hostile to root development. If you want your memorial tree to thrive for years to come, using the Treebute Organic Soil Blend is essential when incorporating ashes.

What makes Treebute different from other memorial tree options?

Treebute is designed to be planted at home, in your own yard, patio, or indoor space. Unlike distant memorial forests where a tree is planted somewhere you may never visit, a Treebute grows right where you can see it. It becomes a gentle, living presence in your daily life.

Every kit includes a healthy tree of your choice, clear planting and care instructions, and the option to add scientifically formulated soil for safe ash incorporation. And our team understands that every memorial is deeply personal.

How is this different from having a tree planted in a forest?

Forest donation programs plant something far away and send a card. A Treebute Kit delivers a real, living plant to your door, or to your recipient's door, so it can be planted and tended at home and seen every day. It becomes part of daily life, not a distant certificate.