J.maple 'Bloodgood' will do well there. Some of the crabapples stay small, like 'Tina', but not sure if any of them have red leaves.

"Bloodgood" will get at least 20' tall - not sure what height you're looking for, but I get that feeling that's too tall for you.

Eastern exposure not far out from the house is a good spot for Japanese maples - they are protected from the harsh western winter winds. You could also put up a barricade to block the north winds, or maybe there's something already upwind that will protect it. I think a laceleaf Jap. maple may be worth a try if you really want one. I have two in my yard that have been doing fine for years, and I'm in a similar zone. They are not in direct line of exposure to the winter winds, though - point being, location, location, location!

It is all about location for japanese maples...

I have 4 japanese maples in my yard (two small cut-leaf ones and two Bloodgood), all are doing fine and have been here for at least 3 years. All are in a part-sun situation, and have some wind protection. Years ago, I did have a Bloodgood in a more exposed situation, and it was severely damaged one winter, dying the following year, and I was reluctant to try again, but found a great bargain in the fall and was successful.

So I'd consider the maple,realizing that it's a bit uncertain. There really is nothing else with quite the same look.

Beth
Z5 Northern Michigan

Thanks folks! Yes, 20 feet is taller than IÂd want. I would like the fancy leaves: so thatÂs a cut leaf variety? I didnÂt know what to look for, but lacy looking was what I had in mind. I think maybe the ones IÂve liked the most must have been that kind.

IS there one with yellow-green leaves? Or am I imagining that? Plain green is what IÂd like to avoid, at any rate.

Another plant IÂve thought of is a cut leaf sumac. I think thereÂs a dark variety out there, a friend bought two. I canÂt remember now is that is tree-like or bush-like. But the cutleaf Japanese maple might be easier to find around here.

I have a lacyleaf and love it especially in the fall, the sun shines on it and it is gorgeous, red and gold. Mine is in the exact spot that was described before, it is about 30 yrs old now and only about 6ft. I get alot of compliments on it. It was my husbands favorite tree. Good luck. Tricia

So it will be marked "Laceleaf"? I want to make sure I am asking for the right thing.

Have you considered Black Lace Elderberry
Sambucus nigra? I think it's hardy to zone 4.

Coral-bark maple might be worth a look too. Winter interest, sort of chartreuse leaves. I've only had mine for a year, and it's still tiny, so I'm no expert on its habit, but I think it probably gets as big as 'Bloodgood,' which I also have. I plan on keeping the coral bark maple fairly tightly pruned.

For an open look and yellowish leaves, you might also be able to do a cutleaf sumac like 'Tiger Eye.'

what h and W are you looking for? we grow 55 j maples here.
the dissected maples are usually max of 4'H but they weep and make a mound, so under-tree perennials is not really in the picture for a dissected unless you plant it on a mound and keep the branches pruned away from the ground. J maple Kyushu is bright green and one of the very very few upright j maples to have dissected 'lacy' foliage, med. in H. (bloodgood is Tall in comparison; bloodgood is one of the tallest j maples anyway.) Of all our j maples, Katsura has the most changing foliage color, from yellow/apricot to bright green and more. It is also a med. H j. maple. I have written about its wonders and other j maples on our website,linked below. I haven't added captions to the photos; just ask me if you want particular IDs. Another upright,Fireglow, is very dark red throughout the summer and fall and stays on the smaller side too.Both these latter two have open upright forms conducive to shade tolerant perennials underneath them.
best,
mindy

Here is a link that might be useful: japanese maples at The Cotton-Arbo retum

I did not mean to use Kyushu; I meant Seiryu as the dissected upright one. for overall whole-tree photos, you may want to do google image searches for certain cultivars.
best,
mindy

Have a Japanese laceleaf maple in a bed right in front of the house with eastern exposure. Does great in that location. Only 5 feet tall at this time.

I'd be cautious about combining J. maples in a mixed perennial bed. Japanese maples have extremely sensitive root systems and dislike any sort of disturbance/cultivation in their root zone....it can lead to a number of problems, the most severe of which are invasion by naturally occurring soilborne pathogens that can kill the tree. If you do add a J. maple to your planting plan, give it some space and make sure its perennial companions do not require periodic division, appreciate very similar growing conditions and do not offer overly competitive root systems.

I'll second the sambucus (elderberry) idea. What about Sambucus racemosa 'Sutherland Gold'?

How about a Tiger Eye Sumac.
Not tall but it will have the Chartreuse your looking for.
It just send out runners like all Sumac but you can trim them off when they pop up.

I have 8 Jap Maples in a small suburban yard. Five varieties small to large. Some are 20 years old in afternoon sun. Some get full sun but most half a day west exposure ...all do well here near Lake Michigan.

i have 2 probs w/ sumac suggestion.1- too short for that position. but most importantly 2- it is very late to show leaves.i grow and like sambucus but just don't think of them as 'THE center of attention' shrubs, more the second tier. i am sure gg is correct in her concerns, and you should heed them. While we have lost j maples over the yrs for sure, almost all of our 55 grow w/ shrubs and perennials at their bases,and are doing well.

best,
mindy

As for the sumac it's not to small for that space. They do grow to be about 9 to 10 ft. Small and large enough for a small garden. OR to showcase for it's leaves. It's a matter of taste if you like them or not! But it is different and striking contrast for perennials. It just depends on what you want with your collection.

9 to 10 feet?!! really? I had no idea. Mine is so late to leaf out -july- that i had no idea it could get that big. I'm going to have to keep mine whacked i guess.
thanks for that info,hr,
mindy

You can use a purple smokebush with perennials very easily. I use mine as a cutback shrub, keeping it quite low, but have sometimes left the shrub uncut in the spring and it will get about 6-8 foot tall those seasons. If left unpruned to grow as a tree it gets about 12-15 ft tall with an irregular or somewhat rounded growth pattern. I do have a neighbor who has real pruning talent and his SB is quite an elegant looking small tree. If I let mine grow tree size but pruned, it would probably be more like a Kousa dogwood in shape, since it takes real nerve to thin out the tree enough to look like my neighbor's tree does.

Anyway, Smokebush can be grown in full sun & is not as delicate as the Japanese Maples are in zone 5 (at least my zone 5 garden on wet heavy clay). They come in purples and greens, including lime greens. They are also easily transplanted - I've moved mine twice.

I use mine with Rozanne geranium climbing all over it, dark red daylilies on each side, Knockout roses around it on the back side, & shaded by taller shrubs & ornamental grasses, so despite being listed as full sun I doubt that you would have trouble with it in an eastern location.

Oh, I just remembered I have daffodils planted all around its base for spring color, so it's root system isn't delicate. I do warn you though, it is a somewhat late riser in spring, and can be awkward looking when first planted with tall unbranched stems. I highly recommend heavy pruning in its first few years to encourage branching.