Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum' Top worked at 120cm

Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum' — Top Worked at 120cm

One of the most eye-catching small trees for spring colour, Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum' opens its season with a spectacular flush of shrimp-pink foliage, holding this vivid colour for several weeks before gradually fading through yellow-green to a soft, creamy green mottled with cream through summer. This particular tree is top-worked at 120cm, meaning it's grafted at that height to form a single clear trunk topped with a neat, bushy, rounded crown — a lovely lollipop form that suits both borders and large containers.

Slow-growing and compact by sycamore standards, this RHS Award of Garden Merit holder is ideal for smaller gardens where a larger sycamore simply wouldn't fit, reaching an ultimate height and spread of 4–8 metres over 20–50 years. It thrives in full sun or partial shade and tolerates a wide range of soils, including chalk, clay, loam, and sand, while also standing up well to coastal exposure and salt-laden winds. Little pruning is needed beyond removing any dead, damaged, or crossing growth in late autumn or winter, avoiding cuts at other times of year as acers can bleed sap when cut while actively growing.

Each plant is hand-selected before dispatch.