General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Tree
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 40-50 feet
Plant Spread: 30-40 feet
Leaves: Good fall color
Deciduous
Other: In the fall, orange-red foliage color. Quality of fall color on species plants can be quite variable from year to year. RED SUNSET is one of the best red maple cultivars available in commerce, with outstanding orange to red fall color (quality more reliab
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Red
Flower Time: Other: Late March to early April
Suitable Locations: Street Tree
Uses: Shade Tree
Water gardens
Pollinators: Wind
Awards and Recognitions: RHS AGM

Image
Trade name information:
Trade Name: Red Sunset®
Cultivar name: 'Franksred'
Common names
  • Red Maple
  • Scarlet Maple
  • Maple

Photo Gallery
Location: Invercargill, New Zealand Date: 2023-05-01
Location: A closer view of two of my neighbor's three Red Sunset trees. Date: 2010-10-14
Location: Willow Valley Communities Lakes Campus, Willow Street, Pennsylvania USA Date: 2020-03-19
Location: My next door neighbor's tree, taken from my backyard in Northern KY. Date: 2005-11-06 Taken with the morning sun shining on it.
Location: Northern KY Date: 2010-10-14 My next door neighbor's tree, taken from my yard.
Location: Gibraltar, Pennsylvania Date: 2010-11-06 lone specimen in autumn color
Location: Iowa
Location: My garden, Pequea, Pennsylvania, USA Date: 2018-11-02
Location: western Oregon Date: fall 2011
Location: My garden, Cedarhome, WA Date: 2019-03-29
Location: My neighbor's three Red Sunset trees in Northern KY. Date: 2010-10-14
Location: My garden, Cedarhome, WA Date: 2018-10-07 Frank's Red Maple first turns orange, then brilliant red
Location: Two of my next door neighbor's trees, taken from my backyard in Northern KY. Date: 2008-12-23
Location: Northern KY Date: 2010-10-14 Two of my next door neighbor's three Red Sunset trees. Very beau
Location: National Botanical Garden (DC) | November 2022 Date: 2022-11-26
Location: Northern KY Date: 2007-11-14 My next door neighbor's tree.
Date: April credit: Captain-tucker
Location: My next door neighbor's tree, taken from my backyard in Northern KY. Date: 2007-11-13
Location: My next door neighbor's tree in Northern KY Date: 2015-04-01
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania Date: 2010-08-26 maturing tree in lawn
Location: Reading, Pennsylvania Date: 2010-11-06 leaves in fall color
Location: Northern KY Date: 2010-10-14 Leaves of my neighbor's tree.
Date: 2009-04-27 Photo courtesy of: Captain-tucker
Date: 2009-04-28 Photo courtesy of: Captain-tucker
Location: Northern KY Date: 2008-01-02 My next door neighbor's tree. The bird feeders are in my yard.
Location: Northern KY Date: 2015-04-23 Fallen from my next door neighbor's Red Sunse tree
Location: Northern KY Date: 2009-11-01 My next door neighbor's tree looking from our patio. Early morni
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania Date: 2010-08-26 line of street trees
Location: My yard in Northern KY Date: 2012-01-28 From one of my next door neighbor's 3 Red Sunset trees.
Location: My yard in Northern KY Date: 2012-01-28 Growing out of the ground from my next door neighbor's yard into
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by virginiarose (Virginia - Zone 8a) on Oct 4, 2011 7:33 AM concerning plant:
    This is a beautiful tree!!
    Reply to this comment
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Nov 2, 2018 6:45 PM concerning plant:
    This has been the most commonly planted Red Maple cultivar for decades. It was introduced into the trade in 1966 by J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery in Boring, Oregon. I called them a few years ago and they said that this cultivar was selected from seedlings that came from either New York or Pennsylvania or New Jersey. The fall color is usually a pure red, but it can have some orange in it. Its northern range of cold hardiness should be Zone 4a and it may not color as well farther south of Zone 7b. (I get concerned about such popular cultivars as this that if some new problem shows up, then millions of trees with identical and limited genetic heredity, usually clones, are more susceptible to damage. I would recommend having more kinds of cultivars and locally selected ones. I also highly recommend the nursery and landscape design industries to use the straight or mother species, especially local genotypes, so that there will be more protection by genetic diversity against all the new pests and diseases that keep getting into North America. Native plant nurseries do this.)
    Reply to this comment

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