Zone 5 is pushing it for the hardiness - most sources give a 6 as the lower limit.

Great spring color, as the above photo indicates, but it matures to a chartreusey-green in summer, sometimes with a reddish-orange edging, and then a bright golden yellow in fall. Best in afternoon shade.

Here are some current pics now almost 2 months after bud break. I have it under a shadecloth tent. Can you spot the 4 leaves that got the hour or two sun for a week?

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By jp_42_82 at 2012-04-11

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By jp_42_82 at 2012-04-11

Well gee, I'm thinking this might not be the tree for me. I don't have a shady spot for it and I don't really want a tree that is chartreuse most of the season, and I thought I was going to get orange fall color. Maybe I was remembering a different Japanese Maple. Oh well.

Maybe someone can suggest one? I was hoping for one that has actual gold or yellow foliage during the main growing season turning to orange in the fall. My location is on the South side of the house, but has a Maple to the left that would allow for some morning shade, and a Bloodgood Maple directly to it's right that might offer some afternoon shade. Plus, I am in zone 6, but to be on the safe side, I'd really like a zone 5 hardiness rating.

Thanks and all the photos really help a lot.

j0n
Those look great? Have you grown them from seed or do you grow them commercially? I have a spot that doesn't get much direct light (facing north) and have been looking for something that could work. I like the look of this one and may give it a go.

How hard are they to sprout?

PM, does A. s 'Autumn Moon' get you there?

Jon,

Got quite a few maple seedlings going there. Is one of them a A. triflorum?

No triflorums whaas. In the above pic there are some peonies behind the Orange Dream, an Acer pseudosieboldianum beside the Orange Dream, and some oak seedlings popping up in front of the Orange dream.

I also have a small Autumn Moon which was also in the sun with the Orange Dream and even received a little more sun with no visible signs of stress. It is on the far left in the middle. In this pic there is an acer circinatum beside the Orange Dream. Got it for $7 at a local hardware store of all places then took it home and repotted it.

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By jp_42_82 at 2012-04-12

Sorry, I missed your reply. All of the grafted maples I am growing came from the seller 'Acer1987' on ebay. So far, I have received exactly what I ordered including Orange Dream, Autumn Moon, and Aconitifolium. I think each came out around $15 shipped. I bought them just to play around with, not sure when I bought them if I would even plant them. I can already tell Orange Dream is pretty much a lost cause here in the land of no shade. The Aconitifolium is out in full sun nearly all day and looks great. It has even developed a red tinge outline around the leaves in the last week. I am still going to put some shade cloth up for it soon, though.

John

John-
Those look great. I had never thought to buy trees from ebay but have checked out that sellers store. I may just order an orange cream after all. I really like the Acer Tsuma Beni as well. With all the trees I want to play with I may just have a corner of my yard that looks like yours.

I take a cautious optomistic approach with ebay, but honestly, I have not had any problems with about two dozen trees so far. I have had much more misidentified stock at local nurseries than ebay as bad as that sounds.

John

'katsura' comes to mind.

Thanks whaas for that idea about 'Autumn Moon'. It does sound more along the lines of what I need. Not sure I like the rounded leaves, but if that were the only drawback, I could be happy with it. There is no perfect tree for each situation, I'm sure.

Jeff, were you suggesting the Japanese Maple 'Katsura'? That sounds familiar. I'll have to look that one up.

Nice collection of Japanese Maples, Jon. Interesting that you found them on EBay. I wish I had started trying that about 10 years ago, but now I don't have the time to wait for one to grow from a small tree. The larger ones are so expensive at some nurseries too. And I do think the 'Orange Dream' is gorgeous. I just wish it had the spring coloration in the fall and could tolerate some sun.

Anyone have any suggestions where to buy a larger Japanese Maple tree?

Depending on what you mean by larger I was EXTREMELY happy with Topiary Gardens.

Each plant was roughly $35 after shipping. They are actually dwarfs that mature at about 5' so they are actually rather large.

What I learned is that sources on the east coast tend to have better branching and more caliper. Versus west coast is more lanky.

Oriental Garden Supply is another one I was happy with.
I picked up a couple A. s 'Bashful' specimens.

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Very pretty, plants! Thanks for those suggestions, I'll check them out.

No problem!

The other thing about TG is that the owner, Diane, actually takes the time to talk to you. She is actually very responvise and treats you like a fellow gardner and more importantly a customer. Something that is lacking with many mail order businesses.

You are right, that is something you don't always find. I don't know....$35 including shipping, I might just get myself in trouble trying out a few Japanese Maples. Sounds like it could be addictive... (g)

John, ACER SHIRASAWANUM 'JORDAN' is supposed to be more sun tolerant than 'Autumn Moon'. A.p. Summer Gold is supposed to be more sun tolerant than Orange Dream if you dig the summer yellow leaves.

Whass - what type of maples are the 3 you have posted in the last photo

If you're looking for nice orange fall color, try an image Google search for 'Waterfall' JM. We have that one and it turns a nice orange in the fall. In summer the leaves are a medium green that blends in with the greens around it. The finely cut leaves are beautiful. It's the orange tree to the right of the shed in this picture from late Oct 2010:
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In this picture from July 2011 (after we repainted the shed door to a better color!) you can see that the green blends in so well that you can't see the tree as a separate object at this distance:
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The tree is mostly shaded in that location but does get an hour or two of sun at mid-day. If it's hardy for me (and it has been fine in the 5+ years since we planted it as a very small tree...), it should be hardy for you too.

Woody, nice pic!

Sam,

The cultivars are...
Acer palmatum �Brandt's Dwarf�
Acer palmatum �Caperci Dwarf�
Acer palmatum �Coonara Pygmy�

We live in Ancaster, Ontario so I think we are in zone 5. I bought an Orange Dream Japanese Maple 4 years ago for $10 at a local nursery and it was about 15 inches high. It gets sun until about 2:30pm and it is now over 5 feet tall. I love Japanese maples - so elegant!

I am a collector of Japanese Maples. I now have 12 different varieties. I am in zone 5, and have never lost one yet. I have been collecting for 6 years. This spring I purchase a Peaches and Cream on Ebay. My favorite seller is Mapletopia. I have never had a problem with them. I have had problems with other sellers so I stick with Mapletopia. I have it planted in morning sun and afternoon shade. I am excited to see what the results will bring to my garden. If you are looking for a tree that is a brilliant orange in fall, the Orange Flame is the right tree for you. I have one paired with a Grandma Ghost which is a bright yellow most of the growing season. The Orange flame is a bronze in the spring and becomes green and bronze as summer progresses. It is the most on fire orange you could ever imagine in the fall. My Grandma Ghost is now 4 years old and my Orange Flame is only 2 years old. My photo shows Orange Flame in the Bronze (springtime) stage. It is located at he bottom left in the photo. Grandma Ghost shows brilliantly to the upper right of Orange Flame. I have added in the Purple leaf Sand Cherry bushes for more contrast and texture. Hostas and Sedum also share the garden. (Sorry, I rotated the photo in my gallery, but it still posted on it's side)