Now there is only color to choose, and the perfect tree is ours. I have chosen some of my favorites for you to consider, presented by size, with a selection of habits and colors in each size range. All the Japanese Maples are very adaptable to many conditions and do well in containers. They will remain considerably smaller in containers, adapting to the limits of the container, and grow larger with unlimited space, light, water and nutrients. Remember, however, that maples in containers need more protection from hot afternoon sun and prolonged temperatures below 15 degrees.
Sizes given are design heights, usually attained by approximately ten years of age.
If your budget or availability require that you start with a very young tree, you will need to transplant it out of the nursery pot and into the next size larger container. Putting a small young tree in a large pot is asking for problems, since the soil at the bottom of the container might get soggy, inviting problems with root rot. A gradual increase in the size of the pot, and some minor root pruning of long, woody or circling roots over a number of seasons will insure a good fibrous root system, and that means a tree that will be happy living in a container. Before purchasing a more mature tree of the cultivar you have selected, check to be sure that it is not root-bound by tipping the tree out of its pot. The roots should be healthy and abundant, with no large woody circling roots.