Orion

Character & interest

‘Orion’ is a small-growing cultivar that stands out for its dense structure and genuinely changing colour through the seasons. It works very well as a focal point in a container, or in a garden setting where you want colour without the spread of a large palmatum. A key feature is its tendency to push new growth in summer, keeping the plant fresh-looking and highly contrasted.

Colours

• Spring : budbreak often raspberry red to cherry red, sometimes reading more red-bronze depending on exposure.

• Summer : mature foliage may settle into bronze / coppery tones, but the highlight is the summer flush: it starts chartreuse green, then turns raspberry red and darkens, creating strong contrast.

• Autumn : generally yellow to yellow-orange / orange (intensity varies with cool nights and light).

Habit & vigour

Compact, dense habit. Depending on training and graft point, it can behave like a small rounded shrub or like a miniature small tree (clearer base, branching higher up).
Slow to moderate growth.

Indicative size

Observed orders of magnitude depending on sources and training:

• about 75 cm at 10 years is cited for very compact plants,

• other references give 0.9–1.2 m tall around 15 years,

• spread can be significant, sometimes 1.8–2.1 m around 15 years (often wider than tall).

Exposure

Gentle sun / bright partial shade. A sheltered position (dry winds, scorching sun) helps keep clean foliage and supports the seasonal contrasts (especially summer flushes).

Origin & history

‘Orion’ is described as a sport (witches’ broom) discovered by Dick Wolff (Red Maple Nursery, Pennsylvania, USA), then released as a dense dwarf selection.