Unique Features: The Armstrong Gold Maple grows into a compact columnar form.  In very early spring it has tiny red flowers that mature in red samaras, double winged seeds. In the summer the 5 lobed leaves are glossy light to medium green, which changes to a vibrant yellow-orange in fall. Red (rubrum) maples are native to the eastern half of the continent, Nova Scotia to Florida, where the soils are more acidic. In our high pH soil they can develop chlorosis, or iron deficiency. The leaves turn pale green while the veins stay darker green. This can be treated with iron and sulfur soil amendments.  Maples start moving sap earlier than other trees (late winter to very early spring) and that makes them prone to ‘frost cracking. This damages the circulatory system of the tree. To prevent this, wrap the tree from Thanksgiving until Easter. Because of this early sap movement the best time to prune maples is late summer to early fall.