Sugar Maple Tree

Sugar Maple Trees for Sale: The Classic Native Shade Tree for Fall Color

The sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) is a native shade tree that grows 60 to 75 feet tall and turns brilliant orange, red and gold in fall. Sugar maple trees are hardy in USDA zones 3–8 and grow in full sun to partial shade. TN Nursery ships bare-root sugar maple trees, Buy 1 Get 1 Free.

Sugar maple belongs to the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, and is native to the hardwood forests of eastern North America, from southern Canada to Tennessee and the Ozarks. Gardeners also know sugar maple as hard maple and rock maple, and it is the state tree of New York, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin. In a home landscape, a sugar maple tree becomes a broad, dense shade tree that lasts for generations.

• Botanical name: Acer saccharum, soapberry family (Sapindaceae)
• Also called: hard maple, rock maple, sugar maple tree
• Fall color: blazing orange, red and golden yellow in October
• Foliage: 3- to 6-inch, five-lobed green leaves on a dense, rounded crown
• Flowers: small yellow-green flower clusters in March and April
• Wildlife value: early spring pollen for bees, winged seeds for birds and squirrels, and nesting sites for songbirds
• What ships: bare-root trees in 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft, 3–4 ft and 4–5 ft sizes; Buy 1 Get 1 Free, Buy 3 Get 2 Free and 25-tree wholesale packs

How Big Does a Sugar Maple Tree Get?

A sugar maple tree grows 60 to 75 feet tall with a 40- to 50-foot spread at maturity, forming an upright oval to rounded crown. Sugar maple trees grow at a slow to moderate rate of about 1 foot per year and can live 200 years or more.

Plant a sugar maple tree at least 20 feet from the house and 30 to 40 feet from other large trees so the crown has room to spread.

Why Is the Sugar Maple Famous for Fall Color?

The sugar maple is famous for fall color because its leaves turn brilliant orange, red and gold together, often on the same tree. Sugar maple fall color peaks in October and gives New England and the Appalachians their classic autumn scenes.

In autumn, a sugar maple stops making green chlorophyll, which reveals the yellow and orange pigments in the leaves, while sugars trapped in the leaves create the reds.

Can You Make Maple Syrup From a Sugar Maple Tree?

Yes. Sugar maple sap is the main source of real maple syrup, because sugar maple sap holds about 2 percent sugar, the highest of any maple. About 40 gallons of sugar maple sap boil down to 1 gallon of maple syrup.

Sap runs in late winter, when sunny days above freezing follow nights below freezing. A sugar maple tree is usually ready to tap once the trunk reaches 10 to 12 inches across.

Sugar Maple vs. Red Maple: What Is the Difference?

Sugar maple has five-lobed leaves with smooth, rounded gaps between the lobes, while red maple has three-lobed leaves with toothed edges. Sugar maple grows taller (60 to 75 feet), lives longer and gives sweeter sap, while red maple grows faster and suits wetter soils.

Both trees deliver standout fall color, and many landscapes use both. A red maple tree colors up early with scarlet leaves, and the sugar maple follows with orange and gold, so planting the two together stretches the fall show over several weeks.

What Grows Well With Sugar Maple Trees?

Native hardwoods and shade-loving understory plants grow well with sugar maple trees. A white oak tree or red oak tree pairs with sugar maple in a classic eastern hardwood grove. At the edge of the canopy, a redbud tree or white dogwood adds spring flowers below the maple's crown. In the shade beneath a mature sugar maple, Christmas fern gives evergreen texture. For windbreaks, reforestation or a future sugarbush, our sugar maple seedlings provide the same species in bulk. Browse more options in our shade trees collection.

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

Plant a bare-root sugar maple tree while it is dormant, from November through April, with the root flare at soil level in a hole twice as wide as the roots. Water deeply after planting and give the tree about 1 inch of water per week during its first summer.

At our Altamont, Tennessee nursery, we grow sugar maple trees in the field, dig them while dormant and ship them bare root. Each sugar maple arrives as a leafless young tree with its roots packed in moist material, ready for planting.

1. Soak the roots in water for 2 to 4 hours.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root spread and as deep as the roots.
3. Set the root flare, where the trunk widens at the base, level with the soil.
4. Backfill with native soil, firm gently and water deeply.
5. Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch in a wide ring, keeping it off the trunk.

Planting & Growing Information

Botanical Name: Acer saccharum
Plant Family: Sapindaceae (soapberry family)
Ships: Bare root, 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft, 3–4 ft or 4–5 ft
Planting Zone: 3–8
Height at Maturity: 60–75 feet tall, 40–50 feet wide
Growth Rate: Slow to moderate, about 1 foot per year
Spacing: 30–40 feet apart for shade trees; 20 feet from buildings
Sun or Shade: Full sun to partial shade
Water Needs: Moderate; water weekly in dry spells the first two summers
Soil: Rich, moist, well-drained loam, slightly acidic to neutral
Bloom Season: Early spring (March–April)
Fall Color: Orange, red and golden yellow
Native Range: Eastern North America
Care: Mulch each spring and prune in summer, once the leaves are fully open.
Plant Attributes: Native, long-lived, brilliant fall color, sap for maple syrup, dense shade

Sugar Maple Tree FAQ

What zones do sugar maple trees grow in?

Sugar maple trees grow in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8.

How fast does a sugar maple tree grow?

A sugar maple tree grows about 1 foot per year once established, a slow to moderate rate that builds strong wood.

How long do sugar maple trees live?

Sugar maple trees often live 200 years or more, which makes the sugar maple one of the longest-lived shade trees for a home landscape.

When does a sugar maple turn color?

Sugar maple trees turn orange, red and gold in fall, with color peaking in October in most zones.

How do you identify a sugar maple tree?

A sugar maple tree has opposite, five-lobed leaves with smooth edges and U-shaped gaps between the lobes, gray furrowed bark on older trunks and paired winged seeds in fall.

When is the best time to plant a sugar maple tree?

The best time to plant a bare-root sugar maple tree is during dormancy, from November through April, whenever the ground can be worked.

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 sugar maple trees in our own fields and ship them bare root in the dormant season, so they root in quickly in their new home. Want to learn more first? Read the Sugar Maple Tree Care and Planting Guide, Legacy Maple Syrup Facts and Information and Advantages of Planting Maples on our garden blog, or browse all our trees.