Silver Maple Tree

Silver Maple Tree: The Fast-Growing Native Shade Tree for Quick Shade and Wet Ground

The silver maple tree (Acer saccharinum) is one of the fastest-growing native shade trees, reaching 50 to 80 feet tall, with leaves that flash silvery-white undersides in the breeze. Silver maple is hardy in USDA zones 3–9 and thrives in full sun and moist or wet soil. TN Nursery ships bare-root silver maple trees Buy 1 Get 1 Free.

Silver maple is a member of the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, the family that holds all maples. Gardeners also call it soft maple, white maple, silverleaf maple, river maple and swamp maple. The silver maple grows wild from New Brunswick and southern Ontario south to northern Florida and west to Minnesota and Oklahoma, where it lines rivers, creeks and floodplains. Because silver maple grows so quickly and loves moist ground, the tree is a top choice for homeowners who want shade in a few seasons, not a few decades.

• Botanical name: Acer saccharinum, soapberry family (Sapindaceae)
• Also called: soft maple, white maple, silverleaf maple, river maple, swamp maple
• Mature size: 50–80 feet tall and 35–50 feet wide
• Growth rate: very fast, often 2 to 3 feet per year once established
• Leaves: 4–6 inches wide with 5 deeply cut lobes, green above and silvery-white below
• Flowers: small red to greenish-yellow clusters in February and March, before the leaves
• What ships: bare-root trees in 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft and 3–4 ft sizes, as Buy 1 Get 1 Free, Buy 3 Get 2 Free or 25-tree wholesale bundles

How Fast Does a Silver Maple Tree Grow?

A silver maple tree grows 2 to 3 feet per year in full sun and moist soil, and young trees in rich, damp ground often grow even faster. The silver maple growth rate makes it one of the quickest ways to shade a yard, patio or south-facing wall.

What Does a Silver Maple Tree Look Like?

A silver maple tree has a broad, open, vase-shaped crown and leaves with 5 deeply cut, pointed lobes that are bright green on top and silvery-white underneath.

Silver maple bark is smooth and silver-gray on young trees and breaks into long, flaking plates on older trunks. In late winter, the bare branches fill with tiny red flowers, among the very first blooms of the year. By late spring, the tree drops winged seeds called samaras, the largest seeds of any native maple, which feed squirrels, chipmunks and songbirds.

Silver Maple vs. Red Maple and Sugar Maple

Silver maple is the fastest-growing of the three native shade maples and the best fit for wet ground. A red maple is known for scarlet fall color, and a sugar maple is known for orange fall color and maple syrup.

For brilliant fall color, plant a red maple tree or a sugar maple beside a silver maple, so the silver maple gives fast shade while the slower maples fill in.

Where Should You Plant a Silver Maple Tree?

Plant a silver maple tree in full sun to light shade, in moist soil with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5. Silver maple grows well in clay, loam and sand and thrives in low spots, rain gardens, creek banks and yards with seasonally wet soil.

Give a silver maple room to spread: plant it at least 30 to 40 feet from buildings, and space silver maples about 40 feet apart for a shade row or windbreak. A silver maple makes an excellent fast shade tree for a large lawn, a quick screen along a property line and a natural choice for pond and stream edges.

What Grows Well With a Silver Maple Tree?

Moisture-loving native trees and shrubs grow well with a silver maple tree. A river birch, a sycamore and a bald cypress share the same damp, sunny ground. Along a stream bank, buttonbush live stakes and black willow stakes root in alongside our silver maple live stakes to hold soil in place. Planting a reforestation tract, wildlife area or windbreak by the hundred? Our silver maple seedlings are priced for bulk planting. Browse more wet-site choices in our wetland plants collection.

How Do You Plant a Bare-Root Silver Maple Tree?

Plant a bare-root silver maple while the tree is dormant, from late fall through early spring, with the root flare level with the soil surface. Water deeply right after planting and once a week through the first summer.

At our Altamont, Tennessee nursery, we dig each silver maple while dormant and pack the roots in moist material, so the tree arrives leafless, dormant and ready to plant.

1. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for 2 to 4 hours.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root spread and as deep as the roots are long.
3. Spread the roots out and set the tree so the root flare sits level with the ground.
4. Backfill with the native soil, firming gently, and water slowly until the soil is soaked.
5. Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch in a 3-foot ring, keeping the mulch a few inches off the trunk.

Planting & Growing Information

Botanical Name: Acer saccharinum
Plant Family: Sapindaceae (soapberry family)
Ships: Bare root, 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft and 3–4 ft
Planting Zone: 3–9
Height at Maturity: 50–80 feet
Spread: 35–50 feet
Growth Rate: Very fast, 2 to 3 feet per year
Sun or Shade: Full sun to light shade
Water Needs: Moderate to high; thrives in moist and seasonally wet soil
Soil: Moist clay, loam or sand, pH 5.5–7.5
Bloom Season: February–March
Flower Color: Red to greenish-yellow
Fall Color: Soft yellow
Native Range: Eastern and central North America
Care: Water weekly the first summer and refresh the mulch ring each spring. Shape young trees in late summer or while dormant.
Plant Attributes: Fast-growing shade tree, quick shade, wet-site tolerant, early spring flowers for bees, seeds for wildlife

Silver Maple Tree FAQ

How fast do silver maple trees grow?

Silver maple trees grow 2 to 3 feet per year in full sun and moist soil, which makes the silver maple one of the fastest-growing native shade trees.

Does a silver maple grow in wet soil?

Yes. A silver maple thrives in moist and wet soil, handles seasonal flooding and grows naturally along rivers, creeks and floodplains.

When does a silver maple bloom?

A silver maple blooms in February and March, before the leaves open, and its red flowers are among the first food of the year for early bees.

Can you tap a silver maple for syrup?

Yes. A silver maple can be tapped for maple syrup in late winter, just like a sugar maple.

What zones do silver maple trees grow in?

Silver maple trees grow in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9.

Grown and Shipped by TN Nursery

TN Nursery has grown hardy native plants since 1959, more than 65 years of experience, and has supplied plants to major U.S. landmarks like the Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery. The Discovery Channel even filmed our maple trees for a time-lapse video showing a tree waking from winter dormancy to full spring leaf, and the U.S. Air Force has used our trees as well. At our Altamont, Tennessee nursery, we grow, dig and ship silver maple trees to yards, farms and stream-restoration projects across the country. Want to learn more first? Read Plant the Silver Maple Tree for a Fast Growing Landscape, How to Grow 6 Fast Growing Shade Trees and Advantages of Planting Maples on our garden blog, or browse our fast growing trees.