I'm looking for a tre no more than 8-10' at maturity. I have several JMs already, but this one is for a prominent position near the front door of my home. I am open to any colour or leaf shape. I would prefer one with an open growth habit and I am particularly fond of the variegated varieties, though a red one would look nice there too. Also, I need to be able to source the tree fairly quickly, so it would need to be commonly available in the nurserty trade. Your favourite??
Hi if,my fovourite is "butterfly "or "beni shichi henge"if you have this cultiva,another best for me,Reticulatum, To Yama nishiki,Uki gumo or Crataegifolium Veitchii ,Buergerianum Wako Nishiki and see photo of the day Fairy Hair alex.
Your question is difficult to answer because there are so many different varieties of JMs, and many people have more than one favorite. Also, most JMs seem to prefer dappled shade, so that doesn't really rule any varieties out. Check out this conversation at the Gardenweb.com website. Someone posted a message asking people to post their 5 favorite JM varieties, and it got a lot of responses. Reading through those answers should give you some ideas for a tree. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/maple/msg031946596667.html?69 Some of my personal favorites for mid-size JMs include: - Shin deshojo -- bright red in spring, then green in summer, red in fall - Beni otaki -- red threadleaf variety with interesting bamboolike form - Autumn Moon -- full moon type maple with brilliant yellow/orange/rose leaves - Koto no ito -- green threadleaf variety that looks like a miniature weeping willow - Acontifolum -- A. japonicum variety with fernlike leaves, brilliant fall color