You should try the Tree Forum for lots of good help with trees.....just so you know!

Red Maples are considered relatively fast growers, but that always depends upon the conditions of the planting site, the length of the growing season, temperatures, and the care that the plant is recieving. Remember: poor soil conditions, and improper planting procedures can kill newly planted trees. Also, pushing a tree to grow faster with lots of fertilizer is a very bad thing for the tree. A young, healthy red maple can expect to grow two or three feet a year at its fastest. (Smaller trees actually grow faster because it takes less time for the roots to catch up!)

Red maples, in general, adapt to a very wide range of soil conditions but would love to be planted in a well-drained soil with a slightly acid pH. This particular cultivar gets to be about 50 feet tall, so plan on giving it some room.

Much of the hype about this tree is phoney. I've seen pictures that are labeled as 'Summer's Red' Red Maple that are some other maple in full autumn glory, lol! The NEW GROWTH on this cultivar is red and remains red until the leaves fully mature. In some locations, that might mean July. The overall color of the tree is green and fall color is (said to be) yellow.

Ask the nursery selling the tree for the latin name, then search on that. Is it a Norway Maple cultivar or a red maple cultivar.

'Summers Red' is a patented cultivar of Acer rubrum, red maple. Its correct name would be Acer rubrum 'Summers Red'. It should be called Summers Red Red Maple.

I wish I had seen this post earlier. This is a great tree. Summer Red ® (not SUMMERS RED) is an Acer rubrum- a red maple! The tree grows like a red maple. It is not a Norway. It is grown for its great SUMMER color which starts in spring as the leaves emerge a bright red. It is also a great red maple tree for the deep south into Florida. Maples require chilling hours in the winter and October Glory and some other red maples do not grow as well in the deep south because they require more chilling hours than they can get in the warm winters. Summer Red requires far less winter chilling hours. The fall color is not spectacular-hence the name SUMMER Red. Now you know...

I have 4 Summer Red Maples in my yard, zone 8b, and love them. I both them for their ability to provide shade and are fast growing. This will be my 3rd summer with these trees. They are worth all the hype.