First, they are not Japanese maples but hybrids between a Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum) and a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) so their growth habit, appearance and leaf shape is at best intermediate between the two species.

It is the Korean maple parentage that provides increased cold tolerance but a zone 3 is pushing the envelop. I know of some members in zone 4 that have issues with these trees over winter so would assume colder zones may also experience similar issues.

Yes, gardengal48, I realized that they are not Japanese maples but a hybrid of these. I am just wondering how they have done in people's Zone 3 gardens? But if they are not even great in zone 4 then probably no hope in my zone then! Sigh.... thanks!

They are only rated to -30F, which is a zone 4. So will certainly be iffy in a zone 3.

Zones don’t mean much to me any more as it’s only a start as to what you’re working with.

Can you tell us about the spot you would like to put it?

If you can get a protected northeast location for example I would give it a shot.

The other big piece is if you can get a couple mild winters (relatively speaking) to get it established.

This is a spring planting only for zone 3,4 and most of 5.

Northwind has the best form in my opinion.

whaas, thank you! Great point.

I am thinking of putting it in my backyard, which is fairly protected for the most part. The spot that I have in mind is actually more north-facing, so I wonder if that is OK?

But your point about spring planting is important though... hmm.... great point!

I am also curious about that one with the lacy leaves (Ice Dragon) though... I have seen that online but NOT in our stores here.... I am just curious what people think about that one?

Boy, do I miss my beautiful burgundy cutleaf Japanese maple when I used to live in Zone 5.... sigh!

My condolences going from 5 to 3!

Ice Dragon is nice seems to require a decent amount of training. I have one North facing but near the house. It’s about as exposed as you get with higher elevation and almost nothing for a mile to protect this location. -27 was the low two winters ago and it didn’t have any dieback. There where multiple -23 lows as well. But we had a steady winter.

I had more loses with a record low late season freeze and a near record low early season this past year. Otherwise typical winter. Loses where staggering. Didn’t come close to the loses two years ago or that nasty 2013 winter. So having a few -20s is nothing compared to those freezes.

whaas, are you sure you are in zone 5a!? That is OUR temperature range in zone 3!!! LOL!

I am so glad to hear that your Ice Dragon is doing well. Is it possible that you show us a photo of that please? I would love to see how it looks in a real garden!!! Thank you!

Temperature ranges given by the USDA for their zones are based on average annual temperatures calculated over specific periods of years. And do not indicate the absolute minimums that have been recorded in each zone. Therefore the USDA zone temperature ranges cannot be used to say what the coldest it gets in a particular zone is. That information has to come from elsewhere.

Pennlake in MN has one of the larger specimens that I’ve seen outside of Iseli’s pictures.

I have four Ice Dragons. Here is the young northfacing one I mentioned.

All time record low here is -36 F.

Not that we get such low temperatures, all the time, although sometimes we do and occasionally get a couple days well below our zone average temperature.

And from what I've seen, it's not always the cold that does plants in, it's the late winter/early spring thaw/freeze events with stronger sun during the day and sub zero temps at night that's the real culprit. If it would just stay cold until it's ready to warm up and then stay warm, it would be a much better zone to live in. :-)

But go ahead and play around, it's cheap entertainment and even in correct zones, things happen to zone hardy plants/trees that does them in.

One piece of advice, using protected areas, with good micro-climates go a long way for successful zone pushing.

whaas! I like that! Thank you so much!!! Now, that is a plant that I need to hunt down next year.... LOL! Thanks.

Bill, you got it. That's why in Calgary (which is 3 hours south of here), they have a tougher time with plants and trees, due to the freeze/thaw cycles and sun there, while we have a much steadier winter despite being much further north and colder.... yes, I love my micro-climate :-) Thanks!

My Ice Dragon took a hit in the winter of '18-'19. I think that was it's third winter from a 15 gallon box (you don't want to know what I paid). In that same winter, a seedling Korean maple and Northern Spotlight from NDSU were not damaged at all. The Ice Dragon recovered nicely this year and you'd never know anything had happened. My conditions are zone 4b, NW exposure over a 40 acre lake so it can be very windy in the winter, though blowing snow tends to accumulate where it's planted.

Thanks so much, pennlake, for the great info! I am encouraged and will want to try it, esp when it's available in our area! (this year, I only saw Arctic Jade and North Wind).

I guess you must have got this beauty when it first came out, hence the high price tag!!! But as long as you enjoy it, that is the most important thing :-) Any chance of a photo of this beauty please? Thank you!!!

'blowing snow tends to accumulate where it's planted'

A fair amount of snow cover in the planting area makes a big difference in how vigorously plants emerge after severe winters, even for zone hardy plants.

Ostrich, have you considered Korean Maple? Or even better, plant Korean Maple and North Wind Maple.

What is it about the lure of Japanese Maple to northern gardeners?

maackia, thanks! My love for Japanese maples started when I was in Zone 5 - I had a beautiful, burgundy cutleaf dwarf Japanese maple in my front yard, and that was just my pride and joy. Since then, I moved to Zone 3 and I am just hoping to find something "similar" to it! I have done elderberry etc but I still hope to find something with those delicate leaves,elegant habit and fall colours, hence my continuous search here! Ha!

There she is behind the hydrangea. Notice the cut on the top. Lost a chunk of it after winter '18-'19 and was thin all last year. Seems to have recovered. Fall color has been mostly orange, but one year was red. It gets shaded by a honeylocust a bit. Leaves seem to have a tendency to stick on during the winter. I've heard from a few people up in the Fargo, ND area these Iseli hybrids are not reliably hardy.

Sorry to go off topic, but it would be very interesting to see sales numbers for the Jack Frost series. I’ve got a hunch it has been very lucrative for Iseli. Well, unless the returns have become problematic.

pennlake, that is lovely indeed! I WANT ONE NOW! LOL!

I agree with other comments that the zone rating on a plant is a guideline. Don't be afraid to experiment! We live in Zone 1b in Yukon Canada, but sometimes can make a warmer zone plant work like with this Amur maple. It was touch and go for the first few years, but the sheltered site and a recycled rubber mat for insulation around its base helped. It is now well established and gets only a bit of winterkill each year. And we love the beautiful crimson leaves in the fall. Definitely worth the experiment!

There's a separate Canadian hardiness zone system, are you referring to that or the USDA one?

Thanks for your comment! I was referring to the Canadian system, but zone maps, and USDA equivalents, are available at the Government of Canada link: Canada's Plant Hardiness Zones

I believe on the USDA scale we are located just on the edge of Zone 1b/2a. Depending on the type of summer we have, we are often on the cooler side.

Kim, congrats on zone pushing!!! When we live way up north, we have to try, don't we!? :-) Well done! Thanks for the encourgement.

Hi ostrich, did your Korean Maple survive the past winter in zone 3?

I also live in Zone 3 and I am tempted to try to plant it. Thanks