Unique Features: The Autumn Fantasy Maple is another seedless hybrid of the red and silver maple.  It grows very rapidly for the first 5 years or so and then it slows down; it can reach 30’+ in 20 years.  It has a slightly narrower pyramidal form than its ‘cousin’, the Autumn Blaze.  The younger bark is pale silver grey and should be winter wrapped until it thickens. Maples start moving sap early, and that makes them prone to ‘frost cracking’, which damages the circulatory system of the tree. This ‘early awakening’ also necessitates an increase in winter watering during this time. In our high pH soil most maples can develop chlorosis, or iron deficiency, which can be treated with iron and sulfur soil amendments. Fast growing trees such as the Celebration benefit from regular (3-5 years) pruning.