Unique Features: The Armstrong maple grows rapidly into a tall columnar form. The tiny early spring flowers are red and do produce seeds, or samaras. The 5-lobed leaves are deeply cut, resembling those of a silver maple. Regular pruning (3 to 6 years) will help develop a strong structure. In our high pH soil, most maples can develop chlorosis, or iron deficiency. This can be treated with iron and sulfur soil amendments. Maples start moving sap early, late winter to very early spring, which makes them prone to ‘frost cracking’ at that time.  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. This ‘early awakening’ also necessitates an increase in winter watering at this time.