Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE®
Acer saccharum
Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE® (Acer saccharum) is a tree suited to the Colorado Front Range, rated "Recommended" on the 2024 Front Range Tree Recommendation List. It matures to about 40–50 ft tall and 30–40 ft wide, and needs low to medium water. Sugar maple struggles with our alkaline pH, intense sun, and dry summers — better suited to the eastern US.
low to medium water40–50 ft tall and 30–40 ft wideXeric / water-wise
Photos
At a glance
- Rating
- Recommended
- Botanical name
- Acer saccharum
- Variety / cultivar
- Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE®
- Type
- Tree
- Mature size
- 40–50 ft tall and 30–40 ft wide
- Water needs
- low to medium water
- Colorado native
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Soil
- clay, loam, sandy
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.3
- Hail tolerance
- moderate
- Wind tolerance
- moderate
- Salt tolerance
- moderate
Site factors to consider
- Critical: Cold Hardiness
- Watch: Leaf Scorch
Planting & establishment
Water deeply every 7–10 days through the first 2 summers. Winter water 1–2×/month October–March when soil is dry and unfrozen — winter desiccation is a top killer of newly-planted trees. Year 3: taper to 2×/month in summer, then rely on natural precipitation.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE® good for the Colorado Front Range?
- Yes. Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE® is included in the Front Range Plant Finder as a tree suited to Colorado's Front Range, rated "Recommended" on the 2024 Front Range Tree Recommendation List.
- How big does Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE® get?
- It matures to about 40–50 ft tall and 30–40 ft wide.
- How much water does Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE® need?
- It needs low to medium water once established.
- Is Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE® native to Colorado?
- No — it is not a Colorado native, but it grows well on the Front Range.
