Hedge Maple
Acer campestre
A tough, compact European maple long used for hedgerows and pleaching, prized as a small urban shade and street tree for its tolerance of dry, alkaline, compacted city soils. Dense and rounded with corky twigs and soft yellow fall color; low and trouble-free, though prone to verticillium like other maples.
Field reference
Family
Sapindaceae
Growth rate
Slow
Mature size
25–35 ft tall, 25–35 ft spread
Hardiness zone
4–8
Soil preference
Highly adaptable — tolerates dry, alkaline, compacted, and urban soils
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Pruning window
Dormant season; tolerates shearing and hedging well
Wood properties
Hard, dense maple wood on a small frame; rarely rigged at scale. Tolerates heavy pruning and shearing, making it a classic pleached or hedge tree.
Native range
Native to Europe and southwest Asia; widely planted as an urban tree
Green weight
50 lb/ft³
Pests & diseases to watch
Common questions
Is hedge maple good for small urban spaces?
Yes — its modest size, dense rounded crown, and exceptional tolerance of dry, alkaline, compacted soils make it one of the better small street and parking-lot trees, and it takes shearing for formal hedges.
Does hedge maple have aggressive roots?
Generally no — its smaller stature and slower growth make it better behaved near pavement than large maples, though as with any tree, give it adequate soil volume to thrive.
Related species in Sapindaceae
Tree Nerd Academy
Ready to sit the ISA Certified Arborist exam?
Video curriculum, flashcards, and exam-sim built by working arborists.