Simple Colourful Garden Ideas for Year Round Impact

National Gardening Week in New Zealand runs from 20 to 27 October and it’s the perfect time to show gardeners how one thoughtful planting choice can create colourful layered interest. Under the theme Community in Bloom we celebrate gardening and green spaces for community wellbeing. Pairing Rhododendrons with Japanese Maples gives a clear seasonal story and year-round joy: bold Spring bloom in the foreground and layered textured Autumn colour behind, plus year‑round structure and Evergreen form for continuous interest.

Burgundy Rhododendron, Queens Park, Walkway, Hedge
Red and Lavender Rhododendron, Queens Park, Cheeky Llama Cafe Walkway, Hedge
Deep Red Rhododendron, Queens Park, Walkway
Purple Rhododendron, Queens Park, Walkway
Red and Lavender Rhododendron, Queens Park, Cheeky Llama Cafe Walkway, Hedge
Deep Red Rhododendron, Queens Park, Walkway

Rhododendron as the Spring statement

Rhododendrons provide the immediate visual wow statement with large trusses of flowers that read from a distance and anchor beds in Spring. Their Evergreen foliage shelters smaller plants and helps create midlayer structure in mixed borders. For best results plant them in acid, well-drained soil in dappled sun or light shade, protect roots with an ericaceous mulch and prune lightly after flowering. Positioned in the foreground or midlayer, Rhododendrons set the scene so Maples can take over the seasonal story later in the year.

Top 5 Japanese Maples:

  1. Acer palmatum Bloodgood
  2. Acer palmatum dissectum Viridis
  3. Acer palmatum dissectum Tamukeyama
  4. Acer palmatum Orangeola
  5. Acer palmatum Osakazuki

Acer palmatum Bloodgood

Acer palmatum Bloodgood - Remarkables Park - Nov 2023
Acer palmatum Bloodgood – Remarkables Park

Acer palmatum Bloodgood carries deep red Summer foliage that intensifies into a bright red in Autumn, making it a reliable choice for dramatic seasonal contrast. It holds a compact habit to around 4 metres and tolerates cooler conditions better than many cultivars. Placing Bloodgood slightly behind or beside Rhododendrons creates a dark foil that makes Spring flowers sing while promising a bold Autumn display.

Acer palmatum dissectum Viridis

Acer viridis 25-35lt in flower Oct 2025

Acer palmatum dissectum Viridis is a dwarf, green weeping form with softly cascading foliage that shifts to yellow and orange in Autumn. Its small scale and gentle texture make it ideal for containers, courtyards, paths or as a foreground plant. Viridis pairs especially well with lower growing Rhododendrons and provides a year-round, textural contrast in tight spaces.

Acer Viridis & Temukeyama Oamaru Gardens - April 2025 (2)
Acer Viridis & Temukeyama – Oamaru Gardens

Acer palmatum dissectum Tamukeyama

Acer Tamukeyama 25-35lt Oct 2024

Acer palmatum dissectum Tamukeyama brings a lacy, deep red weeping habit that shifts from purple red to fiery red in Autumn and remains compact at about 1.5 by 1.5 metres. Its weeping silhouette reads beautifully beside reflective surfaces, so placing Tamukeyama near a pond or calm water doubles the visual effect. In small garden corners it provides a soft, sculptural element that complements Rhododendron structure.

Acer palmatum Orangeola

Acer Orangeola 25-35lt Oct 2024

Acer palmatum Orangeola offers bright orange red in Spring with a layered two tone effect that persists later into Winter, giving unusually long lasting colour for a Maple. It suits sheltered sites with morning sun, so the warm tones are enhanced without leaf scorch in hot afternoons. Orangeola makes an excellent companion to cool pink and purple Rhododendrons where a warming counterpoint is needed.

Acer palmatum Osakazuki

Acer osakasuki 35lt Oct 2020

Acer palmatum Osakazuki is notable for its large seven lobed leaves that are apple green in Summer and turn an intense scarlet in Autumn, producing one of the most striking fall shows among Japanese Maples. Osakazuki works best as a single specimen or focal point, set beyond a mass of Rhododendrons so its scarlet colour can be read across the garden and act as the Autumn climax.

Red and Lavender Rhododendron, Maple Glen, Walkway, Hedge
Maple Glen

This National Gardening Week, let a Rhododendron give you an immediate burst of Spring colour while a Japanese Maple promises Autumn theatre that will keep your garden compelling through the year. Together we can create a world of beauty and help our communities bloom.
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