I bought a Fireglow japanese maple, it was tiny when I got it. Six years later it is taking over the yard, but it is approaching it's mature height. It is growing in a SMALL space. It's just one example. A small to medium sized tree can be kept in line by proper pruning. Dan's links are AWESOME! They were just hidden in the note so I didn't notice them either. I got my maple via mail order, so don't rule out that option for more selection. There are some great mail order nurseries out there. Forest Farm is one I have used, and Herter's Japanese Maple Farm is where I got my maple. They are great. Tons of great info. on all the varieties listed on the Internet, including photos.

I confess to using bare-root hedging stock. I mean, why would I buy a rowan or an alder for around $15 when I can buy a bundle of 10 for less than a quarter of the cost of one potted nursery tree. Literally - my beech and alders cost me around 30 cents each. That moment has passed now until autumn...my major planting season...so any containerised plants will be as tiny as I can find (and I did find a rather interesting spirea salcifolia as a replacement for the hateful buddleja in growth habit). Seems to be that hedging companies are a bit rare in the US although still much enthusiasm for rootballing in burlap...but buying trees uprooted as maiden whips means a fast and easy establishment and the possibility of training your trees from the outset (I have become increasingly fascinated with inosculation). Ah yes, the 'gallon' conundrum. I was utterly confused for years by the casual use of '5gallon' pots over on the rose forum...which are, in fact, 5 litre pots or just under 1 actual gallon...at least as far as the Austin pot sizing goes...and nearly all other potted roses apart from miniatures. And I have always been bewildered by the US measurement of 'cups'...which is even worse, and far more ambiguous than our imperial insistence on pounds and ounces. Teacups, beakers, builder's 1pint mugs? I went over to base 10 with vast relief...although my builder sweetheart still carries a flag of resistance for yards, feet and inches.

looks like inartful shipping pruning ... its probably either do that ... or it shows up with a bunch of broken branches which you would hate more ... the tree would outgrow that.. imo ... for the price... i think you have a camera trick going.. making it look 20 feet tall .... i limb up my trees .. and i bet.. everything below the Y would eventually be pruned off ... so who cares if its been cut back now ... but..... but i agree.. i dont like the high 'Y' ... and for that reason.. i would walk on by .... yeah.. i could prune one side off ... but why ... find another ... btw.. if it is a norway ... i hope you know all the drawbacks to that type of maple .... you can do better ... ken

I would use what works best. I use shade cloths for my orchids and they work great. I don't get the heat like you but I do have friends that take their trees out of the full sun and place them in part sun or shade, under trees or partly planted in the ground. So many ways to protect your trees from heat. You just have to become creative. You mean spray the trunk white? By the way there is a product that you could use in your fertilizer regimen that will help the plant with heat stress call 'Pro-tek' made by Dyna-gro which does wonders.