I am torn between planting Aureum and Olson's Frosted Strawberry by the front entrance to my home. I like Aureum more, but it's ultimate size worries me. Do you think it's okay to plant it about 3 feet away from the foundation and 5 to 6 feet to the right of the front door? I'm looking at this from the persepctive of 25 to 30 years down the road.
The only problem I can see with planting that close to the house is if the building is constructed from something that is going to need painting somewhere down the line, because you will have trouble getting behind the plant. Otherwise shirasawanum 'Aureum' is a slow grower and could be kept in check and away from the door with light occasional pruning. (Assuming you don't mean palmatum 'Aureum', might be a little faster growing.) How long has 'Olsen's...' been around? I could be miles off but I thought way less than 25-30 years, no guarantee it won't be as large as 'Aureum' at that age.
If you are talking about personal opinion, I think it is a tragedy to grow any maple that long (25 plus years) knowing you might have to someday drastically prune it because it was planted too close to something when it could have been avoided in the first place. Having said that, my largest cultivar 'Garnet' is within 5 years of outgrowing its space by my front door and I just moved a large 'Villa toranto' this past winter as it was too close to my home (it survived the transplant by the way). Their are just way to many dwarf cultivars that may suit the space better and never have to be pruned except for shape maybe. You could also consider a decorative pot in the same space with either cultivar which tends to dwarf any cultivar. Plus you could move it easier in a pot in the future if you are not in your 'forever' home now (as my wife and I call it). Most of my collection are in pots for this very reason. Justin
Re: dwarfs, I've heard too many people talk about dwarfs they've bought that didn't stay small to put my trust in them. IMHO - put in what you like and just commit to consistent trimming every single year. Just think of it like a really big bonsai and worry about 25 years from now in 20 years. But I like even better the idea of a tree in a decorative pot. Just make sure to avoid a pot where the neck is more narrow than the body as it will make it difficult to get the tree out when it comes time to root trim or transplant. I learned that one the hard way and felt really slow when I figured it out. I broke a major branch on the JM I was working with and cracked the pot. Should have just committed to breaking the pot.
Lest anyone think keeping ANY JM to a limited size is an issue, let me direct you to a little thing called Bonsai that has been successfully practiced for centuries! You control the plant, the plant does not control you. If you want an s. Aureum by the front door, by George you should have one!! You can keep it small and it can be beautiful as well. Let no one tell you otherwise.
